The “All-American boy band” Brockhampton rocked the stage at the Pageant on Tuesday, Feb. 20, having a sold out concert despite the freezing rain and unpredictable forecast. The group consists of 15 individual artists who are currently traveling across the United States for their tour Love your Parents and are featuring their most recent album “Saturation III.” The Los Angeles based group did more than impress the crowd in St. Louis—it inspired new fans to join the hype train and dig deeper into their music and social awareness.

Brockhampton’s lead member, Kevin Abstract, formed the group by posting on a Kanye Forum asking if anyone wanted to form a band and over 30 people replied. This led to the creation of one of the most iconic boy groups of the century and a rebirth of alternative R&B. What made the concert at the Pageant a thrill was two members of the group, Nick Lenzini and Joba, are St. Louis natives. People all over Missouri were eager to see this show and the hype of Brockhampton was met a line up for the show around 1 p.m., resulting in a sold-out show.

The concert did not have an opening act, but they began the show by playing their most famous songs from “Saturation I,” such as STAR and FACE. All of Brockhampton’s music accurately represents the diversity of the group itself, and they live through the lyrics they rap and sing. They have queer members and a blend of cultures that they use to make their lyrics relatable and inspiring to those who aren’t equally represented in society, and to give a voice to their struggles.

The response from the audience when STAR came on was euphoric, as the whole building felt connected through synchronized head bops to the bass of the song and people screaming every lyric at the top of their lungs. FACE was encountered with a softer response, as crowds of people put anything with a soft light into the air as the whole building was glowing with respect for the band’s slower songs.

Throughout the show, they consistently interacted with the audience, periodically allowing people to ask questions between song performances. One of the more striking questions that was presented during the show was for Abstract, and the audience member asked him ‘what was the best quality he liked about his boyfriend,’ Jaden Walker. Abstract replied that Walker’s best quality was loving him unconditionally for who he was and how he cared for him. Overall, the fans were engaged and actively participating in the questioning periods and singing along to the songs performed.

Later on in the concert, Brockhampton played songs from their most recent albums, “Saturation II” and “Saturation III.” BLEACH was by far the most moving song played that night. It is personally my favorite song, and I love how unwinding it is. A lyric in the 4th verse that is sung by Dom Mclennon “do you make mistakes or do you make a change?” demonstrates the lyrical innovativeness of the group and the types of messages their songs spread. The rest of “Saturation III” was performed, and the concert was concluded with the iconic song HEAT, from “Saturation I,” which is easily described as a headbanger. It is meant to be an angry song that people could get hyped too and the mosh pit was filled with energy as people ran around during the performance.

The Pageant is one of the few venues that allows student publications to photograph and attend concerts at their location for journalism purposes, and it made a huge impact to the quality of this concert since I was able to take amazing photos of the members and have a great view of the stage. The show ran smoothly and was on time, allowing for every member to be featured and shine in the spotlight during the performance. Unfortunately, it was hard to find people to go to the concert with since it was a ‘school night’ and many classmates were worried about the homework they’d have to finish the following day, but the turnout for the concert was great.

Overall, the relatable edginess of the band has brought Brockhampton fans all over St. Louis closer, and the diversity of the band has continued to encourage more people to acknowledge problems that fill our society. The concert was more than what people had expected, and fans of all kind are excited to see the next work that the artists plan to create.

The Parkway West Pathfinder rates the Brockhampton concert 10/10.