Concert Review: Gus Dapperton Defines Legendary In BK

Gus Dapperton has become a King before my very eyes and I don’t know how to feel about it. Watching Wolf Alice last week and now Gus, I have been apart of several music journeys throughout the last few years that have taught me something many have mentioned: having a stage persona is a really good idea. Frankly, I don’t think I could meet the “real Gus” or Wolf Alice anywhere but on the stage, and that is what makes his performance so good. 

When Gus Dapperton performs, I swear it like Haley’s Comet. He is SO ALIVE that I understand what artists mean when they claim it is only on the stage that they meet their most authentic selves. Rarely, do I see a performer appear so free on stage compared to Gus. His dominance over the crowd with such potency and intimacy makes him appear like the live-action embodiment of legendary. In a time, where music “legends” can feel accessible and common thanks to social media fandoms, the concert scene might be the only place to prove you deserve that status and Gus does. 

I kind of compare social media fandom/ frenzies to the hype before any Broadway musical: everyone will swear its best thing, you will believe them and go see it, and then you will like it but forever feel it never measured to the hype. TA DA! Nowadays, we make artists appear like “cures for cancer,” and that is a BIG THING to measure up to, especially since it does not exist. After seeing Harry Styles, whom is MAGIC in live performance, I was excited to feel like Gus was similar. Both capture a feeling of embodying their space as “the present” is their kingdom. In essence, Gus Dapperton showed that the best entertainer is the one that makes you forget time, which is why I compare seeing his show to water: it goes by quick and you need it to survive.