The Best Tour Ever goes worldwide: Aminé’s thrilling Paris performance

The Best Tour Ever goes Worldwide: Aminé’s Thrilling Paris Performance

Despite the cloudy September skies and post-rain chill that fill the streets with brown wool sweaters that sit upon the necks of fashionable Parisians, I’ve opted to wear a bright green knit tank top. It’s the most fitting thing in my closet to watch Aminé’s color-saturated performance on his “Best Tour Ever.” The last time I saw him was this February on the same tour, but I can’t say no to an Aminé concert. I’ve seen him three times in Los Angeles on all his tours up until this point as it’s become a tradition for my best friend and I, but a new city and a new continent promise to deliver a different show. After moving abroad for the semester, it was nice to have a reminder of home. With the mix of a spliff and an aperol spritz fueling my excitement, I rush to catch the 7:00 metro towards Porte Dauphine to meet up with my new friends, and I can’t help but think about how far the artist and I have come since his first tour in 2017.

Aminé at The Novo in Los Angeles- November 16, 2017

The Portland-born rapper first started making waves in the music industry with the single “Caroline” for Good For You in 2017. The music video that accompanied the single shows him driving around with his best friends in a car full of bananas, essentially showing off the playful personality that would define his subsequent projects. Following the release of OnePointFive (2018), Amine told Complex magazine, “The PointFive projects are the breaks in between albums where I give myself the freedom to make music without expectations, focusing instead of spontaneity and the best of what comes from stream of conscious creation, which is why they release unexpected and without a long rollout.”

Aminé is now touring in Europe following his most recent release, and second PointFive project, TwoPointFive (2021). While the album is more experimental than any of his previous albums, leaning more towards hyper pop now than ever before, Aminé’s The Best Tour Ever combines a multitude of his projects to create a well-rounded representation of his talent and personality. And while this is my second show of the tour, the European portion definitely exceeded my expectations and left me with a deeper love for the artist. 

Concert goers outside The Hollywood Palladium- February 5, 2022

As I arrived in the 18th district of Paris on Monday, September 26th of 2022. A small crowd congregated around the entrance of the venue smoking hand-rolled cigarettes, appearing too nonchalant to be superfans. The small line moved quickly and I was able to get inside before the floor filled up. The Elysée Montmartre was a bit smaller than the Hollywood Palladium where I saw him last, offering only standing room and a small balcony, making it easy to push to the front when Aminé finally started performing. He had a french opener who I understood none of, save for the phrase “let’s go” just before an unexpectedly large mosh pit formed. Moments before the beat dropped one of the white boys among the many of what looked like typical Playboi Carti fans cartwheeled across the round opening and started Irish shuffling. The crowd cheered and then rushed towards the center, which is when I saw my opportunity to get towards the barricade. In hindsight, this might’ve been a mistake as I spent the next hour and a half being shoved left and right between hyped male bodies dripping sweat through their hoodies, though I definitely enjoyed the adrenaline that only grew as the concert went on. This was probably the most surprising thing about the crowd: the amount of energy they had for an artist that for the most part fluctuates between R&B and bouncy rap music. That or the fact multiple people lit up illegal blunts in honor of Aminé’s well-known affinity for weed, which filled the venue with a scent that made me nostalgic for his past Los Angeles shows. While the crowds in Los Angeles have held more seasoned fans that definitely know the words to every song, they give the impression that they are there to savor Aminé’s presence than to interact with the openers or the rest of the crowd. Aminé emerged from backstage about thirty minutes after the opener, sporting bright orange shorts, a pastel blue puffer vest over a wife-beater, and silver buggy sunglasses. 

Aminé at Elysée Montmartre- September 26, 2022

The crowd got even more hyped than before, violently squeezing me up against the few people left in front of me. He complimented the audience’s energy by performing the most lively songs off his collection of albums, including crowd favorites “Dididumduhduh” and “Ratchet Saturn Girl.”

The only time I felt a break in the continuous bounce was when Aminé performed “Burden” off his more intimate, 2020 album Limbo. Here, the crowd momentarily slowed down and met his solemn gaze with admiration. However, the vibe quickly built up again as he switched back to his more humorous, animated personality for the rest of the performance. To close the show, Aminé performed the hit singles, “Spice Girl” and then “Caroline”, which catapulted him into this international presence, causing the energy of the crowd to crescendo into the pure essence of excitement and appreciation. After the lights went off and the crowd dawdled in darkness, Aminé came out again and performed an encore of “Reel It In;” seemingly a thank you for the audience’s incredible presence.

Article by Karla Limon

Photography by Karla Limon