Concert review: The Kid Laroi counts his blessings as he returns to his old stomping ground

An Adelaide teacher told him he’d never make it in music. Now, a global pop superstar at just 18, The Kid Laroi had something to say about that during a pre-show sound check. See the video.

It’s hard to believe four years ago Charlton Howard – aka The Kid Laroi – was an average Adelaide school kid attending Sacred Heart College.

Now he’s a global superstar, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus.

And last night, to a near-packed house at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, he showed why he’s become one of the biggest names in global hip-hop, delivering a high-energy hit-filled set that ran for almost two hours.

The crowd waited in anticipation for the 18-year-old sensation to make his arrival, with half a dozen overly enthusiastic fans escorted out for rowdy behaviour an hour before The Kid Laroi hit the stage.

The Kid Laroi performs in Australia. Picture: Cameron Spencer

While it would be easy for an older crowd to toss the new prince of pop aside with his high intensity and sometimes shouty voice, once you understand the heartbreak behind the lyrics on songs such as F*CK YOU, GOODBYE and the smash hit Without You, the cult following behind Australia’s biggest musical export in years becomes clear.

The chants continued and by 9.10pm The Kid Laroi had a sea of fangirls and fanboys bobbing their heads like popcorn popping.

Bursting onto the stage to perform Let Her Go. a song about weighing up his the love of money over some “shawty”, it was clear he had the audience in the palm of his hand.

While the stage design was fairly minimal – a simple white staircase accompanied by a number of flower arrangements – The Kid Laroi commanded the space, stomping and bobbing to his catalogue, with moody lighting to reflect the vibe of the songs.

Addressing the crowd after SAME ENERGY, the pride of South Australia shone through as The Kid Laroi reminisced about his time living in the City of Churches.

“I haven’t been back to Adelaide since I was 13 years old, it’s crazy being back here,” he told the crowd.

PROFILE: Who is The Kid Laroi?

The Kid Laroi performs in Australia. Picture: Cameron Spencer

“I left here on a weird note, I went to school here and I saw some of these kids when I was outside and they asked if I remembered them.

“Dawg, I had no friends at that school, y’all weird as shit, but I still love you.”

The 18-year-old remembered his friend and former mentor Juice WRLD with the songs GO and TELL ME WHY.

At the end of TRAGIC, The Kid Laroi went a cappella in front of the barrier, so close to the crowd that it still feels as though some non-existent social distancing law was broken.

But that was not the end of the crowd interaction, a young concertgoer named Jack joined The Kid on stage for a shoey after the song NOT SOBER, which indeed was very fitting for the vibe of the crowd.

Despite his fun-loving intensity, The Kid Laroi was quick to call out a former teacher who he spotted in the audience.

@jazjohns_99 @The Kid LAROI. #fyp #oscarsathome #adelaide #soundcheck ♬ original sound - Jazmin Johns

“I do have a whole lot of love for you in my heart because I was 12 years old, but I do remember when you sat me down and told me I needed to quit music because I wasn’t going to get anywhere,” he said.

“I can’t lie, I used to hate you for it. I understand the music I was making back then was really trash, it might have been hard to see through it.

“I do remember … I have dreams about that shit.”

The crowd was also treated to a special performance of BLESSINGS, deep from the teenager’s archive dating back to his time living in Sydney before blasting his new hit single THOUSAND MILES.

Another young fan was lucky to not only accompany The Kid Laroi on stage but also be handed a microphone to duet ALMOST DO after his sign was spotted in the crowd.

But it was smash single STAY erupting through the speakers that got the entire crowd out of their seats.

It was clear the teenager was at the end of his stamina by then, using the crowd to help sing the chorus as well as Justin Bieber’s part to catch his breath, but the crowd continued to scream at the top of their lungs.

Saying his goodbyes, it was only a number of minutes before he came back to perform the song that catapulted him to stardom, WITHOUT YOU, to a sea of cellphone lights.

With the average ticket price just over $100, it would be hard to argue that one didn’t get their money’s worth from this show.

Whether you were seated or standing, it was fun for everyone.

Despite The Kid Laroi only having brief ties with Adelaide, the state along with the rest of the nation should feel proud of this young man’s talent, no matter whether his music is to your taste.