Rapper Skizzy Mars brought a burst of energy to The Majestic Theatre in Madison this past Tuesday. The show opened as the anxious crowd awaited Mars' arrival onstage while a drummer laid a beat. Eventually the guitar came in and the crowd went wild as the long anticipated performer took the stage. Opening with the upbeat “American Dream” track off of his newest EP “are you OK?”, he set the mood for his subsequently lively set. With the minimal stage setup of just his band (an impressive drummer and guitarist) and an LED light panel flashing the name of his new album (“are you OK?”), Mars was able to have full reign of the space to move around and really perform. In addition to his stage setup, the performers simple outfit of a hoodie, hat, and sunglasses confirmed the performance's lack of flashy antics.

Moving through the first half of the set, Mars integrated aspects of his older music and his newer music, switching off between music from his albums “The Red Balloon Project” (“Do You There”, “Time”) and “Alone Together” (“Alcoholics”, “Comb”, “Crash”). He also threw in a few songs off of his new EP (“Greedy”, “Why Can't We Work”). Keeping the energy of the performance throughout his entire set, Mars utilized the whole stage, often elevating himself atop a tall platform to the right of the stage, much to the excitement of the crowd. Throughout the performance, Mars was very vocal about his gratitude towards his fans and the audience that was with him at The Majestic that evening, dedicating his pre-”Red Balloon Project” music (“Lucy”, “Come Over”, “Numb”) to his “OG Skizzy Mars fans”. Closing the show with his famed track “Girl on a Train” (off of “Alone Together”), the rapper left the stage at the height of the crowd's energy. Of course, he came back on for an encore and played the song “2006” from his new EP, noting on his way out that Madison is his “favorite city to play”. With a lively crowd and a spirited rapper like Skizzy Mars, this performance was well worth the Tuesday night.

1. American Dream
2. Do You There
3. Alcoholics
4. Time
5. Comb
6. Crash
7. Greedy
8. Lucy
9. I'm Ready
10. Why Can't We Work
11. Come Over
12. Numb
13. Hit Me Harder
14. Help Me
15. Be Lazy
16. Girl On a Train
17. 2006