By: Maggie Caroddo
Known for antics that range from leaking their own album to not showing up to their Lollapalooza set, Death Grips has made quite a name for itself since emerging on the underground rap scene. Consisting of Stefan Burnett (MC Ride) on vocals, Zach Hill on drum kit and Nick Reinhart on guitar, the group has put out seven critically acclaimed studio albums since its inception in 2010.
On September 18, 2023, at History in Toronto, fans got to witness the elusive group’s first Canadian show in over eight years. Opening with “System Blower,” a high-energy track from their 2012 album The Money Store, set the tone for the rest of the upbeat, moshpit-filled show. While Death Grips shows have garnered quite a bit of negative attention in online music communities for having disrespectful, uncouth crowds, the Toronto crowd stuck to pre-Covid norms of concert etiquette and restricted all pushing and shoving to the pit. Sweating, screaming and dancing together, fans got to immerse themselves in a truly unparalleled concert experience.
The group stayed true to its reputation of being hyper-reserved, not uttering so much as a word to the crowd all night. They instead let the music speak entirely for itself, seamlessly transitioning from one song to the next, stopping just two or three times so that MC Ride could have a Gatorade break. Although the bulk of the setlist was from The Money Store, occupying eight spots on the 29-song-long setlist, Death Grips devoted some time to their other works, including some of their instrumental tracks. They also played a few songs, including “Guillotine,” from Exmilitary, their 2011 debut mixtape.
Death Grips ended the night with “Hacker,” the electro hip-hop closing track from The Money Store that features bars about being too much for Lady Gaga to handle and visiting Nikola Tesla’s grave nine times in one day. No matter how bizarre the lyrics, Death Grips is guaranteed to have an entire crowd of fans shouting along with them. The group left the stage just as they had entered: silently and without a single wave to the crowd. Even if the tour was not accompanied by a new album, to the dismay of many fans, this long-overdue show is a testament to the fact that everything Death Grips does is worth the wait.