Bay Area rapper G-Eazy kicked off the Santa Barbara Bowl 2016 concert season with an opening night for the ages.

His recent April 19th show was the first concert with the return of Goldenvoice, the Bowl’s exclusive concert promoter, who are committed to bringing “top-tier talent” to our iconic Santa Barbara stage.

And G-Eazy is certainly a testament to that.

The Bay Area rapper kicked off the night in outstanding fashion with a few hits from his newest album “When It’s Dark Out,” including the hard-hitting “Random” and “Calm Down,” which had the whole crowd fervently bouncing up and down in unison. The high-flying 26-year-old naturally exudes confidence and with plenty of reason — “When It’s Dark Out” debuted at number two on iTunes when it dropped this past November, and has been a mainstay on the Billboard 200 for over 20 weeks.

After performing a few of his newest hits, he proceeded to play a few slower tracks: Perched on the edge of the stage he serenaded the crowd with favorites “Tumblr Girls” and “Let’s Get Lost,” before pausing for a brief intermission.

Playing just a week after Coachella, G-Eazy’s second world tour has seen him travel across the United States, Europe, and Australia. In a recent interview with the Santa Barbara Independent, the Bay Area rapper noted, “Last year I was at Coachella as a fan, and this year I was onstage. The last time I was in Santa Barbara was three years ago when we played Velvet Jones, and it wasn’t even sold out.”

How things change...

Joined by his DJ and drummer, the Oakland native came back on stage to a roaring applause from a packed Bowl. He got right back into the thick of it and played more hits including “Loaded” and “Far Alone” before the crowd started chanting “Gerald, Gerald, Gerald,” G-Eazy’s name.

Standing in front of his colorful stage backdrop, The Endless Summer Motel, the tall, clean-cut rapper ended the night in outstanding fashion with his ultra-popular single, “Me, Myself, and I,” which has spent nearly half a year on the US Billboard Hot 100. The crowd responded in epic fashion and the man of the night seemed at a loss for words. He wholeheartedly proclaimed, “This sh*t right here is beautiful.”

G-Eazy topped off a memorable performance with two encores, “You Got Me” and “I Mean It” before declaring his time at the Santa Barbara Bowl as one of his favorite shows he’s ever performed.

Check out more G-Eazy photos by Santa Barbara Bowl House Photographer A. Art Fisher, at our Concert Photo Library.

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Andy Reese is an avid writer who covers a variety of topics including music, art, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. This music lover happily resides in Santa Barbara, CA, and outside of writing, enjoys playing guitar, surfing, and traveling new coastlines. Follow his adventures on Instagram: @andersreese