Open Mike Eagle and Fatboi Sharif at Elsewhere Rooftop
On Wednesday, July 13, 2022, Open Mike Eagle of Los Angeles, CA performed a headlining set at Elsewhere Rooftop in Brooklyn, NY. He was joined by NJ rapper, Fatboi Sharif. During his opening set, Fatboi Sharif declared he was the sexiest MC/dancer ever and it’s difficult to disagree with that statement (a couple weeks before this concert, he performed on the same stage with billy woods, baring his chest). Accompanied by DJ Boogaveli, Sharif donned a balaclava, a hospital gown (with shorts underneath), and moccasins while performing songs from his 2021 EP with Roper Williams, Gandhi Loves Children, along with new material that hasn’t been released yet. He initially rapped on stage with Boogaveli but then moved to into the audience shortly afterward, pacing back and forth near audience members. After Fatboi Sharif’s set ended, Boogaveli did another brief DJ set before Open Mike Eagle took the stage.
This was Open Mike Eagle’s first headlining performance in New York City since the release of his latest record, Anime, Trauma, and Divorce that was put out by his label, Auto Reverse Records, in 2020. Before the show on Wednesday, he was touring with AJJ but that trek came to a halt when they tested positive for COVID-19 and the band had to cancel performances. “Feel At Home” was the first song of his set that came from his 2017 record Brick Body Kids Still Daydream. Video Dave accompanied him on background vocals and rapped a few verses during the set while also recording footage on his cell phone and video camera. Open Mike Eagle’s set comprised of songs spanning his catalogue but leaned towards newer material with tracks such as “Bucciarati,” “Death Parade,” “The Edge of New Clothes,” along with even newer songs because Eagle remarked that he and Dave haven’t left the house in a long time. At one point, fireworks went off in the distance while he performed one of these brand new songs.
The concert came to an end just before the 10PM curfew with an impromptu freestyle set that featured rappers who were in the audience such as Kosha Dillz (who lives nearby in Bushwick), Fat Tony (who currently resides in his hometown Houston but lived in Brooklyn prior to the pandemic), and Fatboi Sharif. When audience members chanted his name wanting another song, Mike jokingly yelled off mic that he’ll go to jail if they continued. Prior to Wednesday’s show, the last time Open Mike Eagle performed in Brooklyn in 2018, it was at Zone One, downstairs at Elsewhere. Four years later, he’s released additional music, more than one podcast series, and has graduated to performing on the top of the venue. Hopefully the next time he returns to Elsewhere, he’ll headline their main hall.