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What’s the best way to get a crowd amped? Yung Gravy thinks it's by bringing out his DJ to play fire sing-along tracks, like “Let it Go” from Frozen, and throw out Chocolate Chip Little Bits. Yes, the little snack muffins your mom bought you for lunch.
An unconventional method? Maybe, but it certainly worked on the Generac Power Stage crowd on Friday night. By the time Gravy was ready to come out, the entire crowd, and maybe even some passing by, were helping chant "Gravy Train," a saying as iconic as Yung Gravy’s stage name.
Yung Gravy burst onto the stage singing one of his hits, “Gravy Train," in a University of Wisconsin-Madison shirt, which also happens to be his alma mater. There was no shortage of Wisconsin references throughout the show for the Minnesota native turned Wisconsin graduate. Gravy stocked his stage with Wisconsin-brewed beers, at one point showing off his Leinenkugels. Gravy also got more serious, at one point stopping the show when the crowd was chanting his name to say, “Everyone shouts my name, but when it’s done in Milwaukee, that sh*t means so much more,” paying homage to a place he chose to call home.
Sentiment aside, Yung Gravy brought an electric energy to the Generac Power Stage, for what Gravy’s DJ himself said is “basically his hometown show.” Fans danced, jumped and sang along with Gravy throughout his entire set to songs like “Goodness Gracious,” “shining on my ex” and, just released that day, “You Need Jesus.” Before his performance of his song “Cheryl,” Gravy shared the song was written about a grocery store on Mifflin Street in Madison.
Yung Gravy first rose to fame in 2016 when his song “Mr. Clean” blew up on SoundCloud, a popular music streaming app. He has continued to stay fresh with his fans through his blended style of trap music and vintage themes. His breakout tune samples the popular 1954 song “Mr. Sandman” by The Chordettes, while “Betty (Get Money)” samples Rick Astley’s hit song “Never Gonna Give You Up.” The latter song earned Gravy a platinum record – and a lawsuit from Astley himself for alleging that Gravy imitated his voice without legal authorization.
The lawsuit certainly hasn’t put a damper on Yung Gravy’s fans. The audience was full of homemade Yung Gravy t-shirts, including one on a stuffed leopard a fan gave Yung Gravy during his set. The stuffed animal sat on the DJ booth for the entire show after Gravy took a selfie with him and named him Huckleberry.
When Yung Gravy’s fans treat him well, he treats them well back. Gravy made sure his fans were well-fed throughout the show as he threw a variety of snacks into the crowd, including boxes of Fruit Loops, signed Lunchables and even a single catered turkey sandwich. The crowd went crazy for it, like one big inside joke that only he and the fans knew.
Midway through the show, Gravy passed out cases of water into the crowd, instructing anyone who received one to keep it until the beat dropped for “Make it Rain” so the audience could literally make it rain. When the beat dropped, the crowd flung the water from the bottles, and Gravy stepped on the speakers in front of the stage so he could get rained on with his fans.
Gravy tried to wrap up his show with the popular song “C’est La Vie," but the crowd would not leave. They chanted his name over-and-over until Yung Gravy came back for one more song, this time wearing a cowboy hat. Halfway through, Gravy went behind the DJ booth to throw roses to the ladies in the crowd. When the bouquet was gone, Gravy thanked the crowd and led us in UW-Milwaukee chant “M-K-E."
