[Our fearless team, Nicci Boots and Ian McNeil spent three days listening to an obscene amount of fantastic music above the stunning Columbia River Gorge in George, Washington. Check out all our coverage here, over 30 sets from a who's who list of indie music.]
I seriously feel like I’ve got a schoolgirl crush on Kid Cudi. How the hell can you not? He’s brought a new, smiley card to the table of hip-hop, and that sexy voice of his lays down some groovy rhymes. Oh, and he’s dreamy. But I digress…the bottom line is that I was definitely psyched to see Cudi’s set on Sunday, and it ended up being all I could’ve asked for. Sauntering onto the stage wearing an Anthrax Fistful of Metal t-shirt and a gigantic grin, Cudi seemed relaxed and having the time of his life. He busted out several of his hits, including his opening to "Make Her Say," leaving out Kanye and Common’s parts in what seemed like a pretty respectful move, and "Day ‘n’ Nite," which thoroughly rocked the crowd.
Everyone there for the show seemed to really get into it, and that’s why I didn’t understand why so many people I talked to after had complaints about it. Quite a few said he seemed too full of himself, but I totally disagree – now, his mentor, the always pretentious Mr. Kanye West, fits that analysis to the tee, but Cudi simply seemed to be having a really good time, and was stoked he has a fan base to support him. I could be wrong, but I guess I am also a bit biased.
Cudi did present a first for me at the festival, when he jumped off the stage and into the photo pit, to be closer to the fans for a few songs. It was almost as endearing as when he brought the kid he punched at a Vancouver show to the front of the stage with him to offer an additional apology. Or when he closed his set with “Pursuit of Happiness,” an overwhelmingly fun song that I haven’t stopped listening to since the festival. The guy’s got serious potential to remain at the top of the game, and as long as he keeps his shit in check, he could be there for quite awhile. A girl like me could only hope.