Welcome to the Whatever USA Tour, hosted by everyone’s favorite Long Island rapper, Hoodie Allen, with special guest, Jake Miller! On yet another small venue tour, Hoodie Allen brought his a-game, as usual. I would expect nothing less, as I’ve seen him, now, 4 times. On his tour stop in Pittsburgh, he came back to the club in the South Side called Foxtail, formerly known as the Diesel Club Lounge. It’s a small venue and doesn’t have a photo pit, so I had to work my magic to get some nice photos. So without further ado, let’s dive right in!
Jake Miller hit the stage first to warm up the crowd a bit. Originating from Florida, Jake Miller is a rapper with a pop sound, and a heartthrob for girls everywhere. He hit the stage with a Pittsburgh Pirates jersey, ready to woo the crowd. He did exactly that. He did a lot of interacting with the audience, on stage… and off. He went into the audience during one of his heart-stopping songs and sang to one of the lucky girls in the audience. So. Cute. I love that because it’s such a small gesture to interact with audience members, but to the fan, it makes their life. It will be a story they’ll tell and a memory they will cherish forever.
I’ve heard of Jake Miller before, but never heard any of his music. I knew he was a heartthrob and that a lot of people I knew, loved him, I just never went out of my way to give his music a listen. I can honestly say that after seeing him perform, I was impressed. He fit very well with Hoodie to be his opening act, and he put on an amazing performance. I loved his inclusion of a piano/keyboard, into his act, as well. When I heard he was considered a rapper, I was hesitant, but I really love the pop twist he puts into his music. It’s catchy as hell. Oh, and he did a cover of “Mr. Brightside”, which had the whole club singing along. Overall, great opener and great performance.
And now for Mr. Hoodie Allen himself. He teased the Whatever USA album like crazy before it came out. With singles such as, “Never Going Back” and “Hell of a Time”, everyone was excited to see what he’s had up his sleeve. It was a really cool album, too. I thought it brought his old sound back, that we were used to hearing from albums like, All American and People Keep Talking and threw in a dash of the pop he has had in his music since The Hype. That being said, the tour following the release had to be just as much of an experience.
As with every Hoodie Allen show, there are shenanigans included… like, cake throwing, fan interactions, an inflatable boat for crowd surfing — yes you read that right. With a different twist on what you normally picture with crowd surfing, Hoodie gets on an inflatable boat and crowd surfs to the back of the pit and back to the stage. He did this on his tour last year, Hanging With Hoodie, where he had his intimate shows across the country. So as I said, The Whatever USA Tour had to be an experience… and it was. He played a mixture of old and new music, including one fan request. Where my boyfriend and I were standing, we had some fans screaming for “You Are Not A Robot”, one of his very first singles, released in 2010, off of Pep Rally. He heard them loud and clear, but after doing a screaming poll, it was just a tad overshadowed by “Movie”, also a great song, off of People Keep Talking.
Hoodie loves his fans, and that’s very evident in every single show he does, his tweets, his music, everything. He’s a humble guy and knows who got him where he is today. Hoodie does everything he can to make sure his Hoodie Mob enjoys a fantastic show, and he does without fail. It’s incredible to watch. At one point during the show, he was singing to a girl standing just on the other side of the barricade. Speaking of his fans, it’s amazing how much they want to be caked in the face, lol. During his song, “Cake”, he and his crew bring out a few cakes to throw in their faces. I believe they had 3 different ones this time. One of them had so much cake on her face, she was trying to eat it and Hoodie got her a towel to clean up.
Hoodie played a good bit of music from his different albums, starting with “Whatever USA”, “No Faith In Brooklyn”, and “Act My Age”, and ending with “You Should Let Me Know” and the ever so popular, “No Interruption”.
I always have a fantastic time seeing Hoodie Allen play live. He’s one of those acts you wonder if they’re the same person in real life, that they are online, and he definitely is. Although the Whatever USA Tour is at a close, Hoodie Allen is definitely not done, and I recommend catching him the next time around.
Whatever USA
All American, all the hits
Below I have some of my favorite shots of Jake Miller and Hoodie Allen. You can check out the rest on my Flickr page!
Abigail McNatt Photography 
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