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JID and Smino's Double-Header Brought the Luv to Toronto
Between JID’s high energy bravado and Smino’s stellar crowd work, this was a rap show to remember.
by Daniel McIntosh
Photos by Ajay Hira
- Published on
March 15, 2023
Toronto. ON
HISTORY
Luv was in the air at HISTORY when JID and Smino rocked the house for two consecutive sold out nights as part of their Luv is 4ever tour. While the co-headlining show was in support of both artists’ 2022 albums, The Forever Story and Luv 4 Rent, respectively, both artists played through hits from across their deep catalogues.
JID opened the evening on 11 and kept the energy up for the entirety of his set, drawing the crowd in for bangers like “NEVER” and “Just in Time.”
As he mellowed into the diaristic cuts from 2022’s The Forever Story, his visual backdrop displayed sepia-toned images of his short-lived time as a college football player (he dropped out to pursue music). In the livest moment of the evening, he closed his set with the perennial mosh favourite, “Stick.”
Considering this was a double bill, the crowd’s energy dwindled halfway through the two-hour set. However, Smino’s stellar crowd work and studio quality vocals won back the audience’s attention. Both artists were supported by their backing band. For a pair who draw heavily from soul samples, the live instrumentation provided lush flourishes and lent new dimensions to their sounds.
As Smino’s set wound down to the tune of “No L’s,” the sold-out crowd hung on every word, begging for an encore as the lights dimmed. Toronto, certainly, felt the love and there was lots to go around.
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