Danny Brown
Wild Buffalo, Bellingham, WA
04.03.24

Bellingham is known as the “City of Subdued Excitement” for about a million reasons, so to have Danny Brown pick the sleepy town as a Quaranta Tour stop was a bit of a surprise, as one would be hard-pressed to not list every other adjective but subdued to describe Danny’s music and energy. So as winter transitions slowly into spring, Danny’s electrifying set to a fully sold out show at the Wild Buffalo was a shot of pure adrenaline.

Ever since Danny Brown burst onto the scene with his critically acclaimed mixtape, XXX, avid or casual listeners, adoring or staunch critics, and everyone in between has seemed to attempt to define Danny’s music and style in one fashion or another. Part of the beauty and genius of Danny’s music is that each of his albums are so fully unpredictable that it’s impossible to define. Yet, the case can be made that his current album, Quaranta, is the most bare, stripped down version of Danny Brown’s music. His show at the Wild Buffalo reflected that energy.

Now, that isn’t to say or suggest the set wasn’t full of energy – it was, make no mistake about it. Rather, the scaling back of energy on the scale from an 11 to a 10 engendered a sense of intimacy that may not have been possible on any of his previous tours. The rowdy, live-wire bangers like “Really Doe” and “Garage Pale Kids” still gave ample opportunity for head banging and moshing, but the dialed down energy of “Quaranta” and “Grown Up” afforded the audience the opportunity to connect with the music on a more emotionally resonant level.

With over a decade of certified classics from which to draw, Danny’s set pulled out highlights from XXX to Old, Atrocity Exhibition to Uknowwhatimsayin, his recent collaboration with JPEGMAFIA and the aforementioned Quaranta. This was a masterclass in stage presence and contained, kinetic spirit. Closing the set with his 2012 single “Grown Up” wrapped up everything with the perfect emotional thread, tying the old to the new, the bombastic with the introspective.

Bellingham may still be a subdued city, but for one night, if nothing else, the Wild Buffalo was a clear exception to the slogan, all thanks to one Danny Brown.

Photos by Sattva Photo
Review by Katie Davis