Huddled together, 5,000 people stood staring up at the stage. Streaks of red, yellow and blue zoomed around the Shrine Expo Hall. Fans waited a long time because Lil Uzi Vert, on his 16*29 tour, arrived to his own concert 45 minutes late.  

However, this delay didn’t stop the crowds from leaving, and Lil Uzi Vert finally made an appearance around 10:15. Jumping onto the stage, Lil Uzi Vert took the microphone, and the concert-goers began singing and screaming his name.

Vert, whose birth name is Symere Woods, is an American hip hop recording artist who got his big start with his debut single, “Money Longer,” which was released in 2017. He was born in Philadelphia on July 31, 1994.  He collaborated with Migos on the song “Bad and Boujee,” which was Billboard Hot 100’s number 1 single last year. 

The original 16*29 tour included Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti, but at the last minute, Playboi Carti dropped out. Lil Uzi Vert continued on his own with revised dates. People are still unsure as to why Playboi Carti dropped out, but on Oct. 19, the day after the cancellation was announced, Lil Uzi Vert tweeted “Not going on tour wit Carti, need to focus??”  

Although it took over an hour for Lil Uzi Vert to actually appear on stage, the show itself was anything but disappointing. He kept the audience engaged the entire time, and concertgoers were dancing, screaming and singing along to his words. He was able to engage the audience in a way that very few performers can.