Review: Anderson .Paak’s Rising Star on Display in First Post-Grammy Concert

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – In one of his last shows in the U.S. before embarking on an international tour, rising hip-hop artist Anderson .Paak recently delivered an epic performance at the House of Blues in Anaheim.

.Paak has been receiving his introduction into the mainstream music world recently with a “Best New Artist” Grammy nomination, a memorable performance with A Tribe Called Quest during the Grammy telecast, and being announced as the opening act for Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic World Tour.

During the House of Blues show, .Paak showed the sold-out crowd why he’s worthy of such buzz, particularly when he kicked off the show with his trending hit “Come Down,” which set the tone for entire concert, which featured 19 songs being performed over about 80 minutes.

Throughout the night, .Paak performed songs off his latest release “Malibu,” which was nominated for “Best Urban Contemporary Album” at this year’s Grammy awards. From that album, .Paak also performed “The Season/Carry Me,” “Put Me Thru,” and “Heart Don’t Stand a Chance.”

Photo by Edgar Medina

In a surprise to the audience, .Paak brought out L.A. rapper The Game to perform their collaboration “Room in Here,” one of the more commercially celebrated songs on “Malibu.”

.Paak showed his versatility as an artist throughout the night, switching from rocking the mic in front of the crowd, to playing the drums or dancing with his band, known as the Free Nationals.

After playing a slowed down version of his hook on Mac Miller’s hit “Dang!,” .Paak went back into performing some of the best tracks from “Malibu,” including “Am I Wrong,” “Lite Weight,” and “The Bird.”

To close the show .Paak took it back to his previous album “Venice” and performed “Luh You,” which had the crowd moving intensely to the beat and repeating the lyrics in unison.

Video highlights are below: