Frank Ocean showcases raw talent on his channel ORANGE tour

It was a crazy summer for up-and-coming singer Frank Ocean. 

In one month, he dropped his greatly anticipated and phenomenal album, channel ORANGE, embarked on a U.S. tour and released the news that his first love had been a man in a beautiful letter that he had put up on his blog. All these things factored into the Odd Future member’s exposure and hype this summer. Before this, many people may have heard of the song “Novacane” from his outstanding yet greatly  underappreciated Nostalgia, ULTRA mix-tape that played on radio, but they probably could not name the artist who sang this tune. 

However, with the release of “Pyramids,” channel ORANGE’s 10 minute long gem and the album itself, critics and music fans alike now know who Ocean is and what he is about to become which is, in my opinion, one of the greatest musicians of our generation. 

Ocean did not grace Houston with a stop on his channel ORANGE tour, but he did come to Austin’s intimate venue, La Zona Rosa. 

Upon arriving at the venue, we knew how intimate the 8:00 p.m. performance was actually going to be. We could literally see the stage from where we were standing outside the gated fence of the building and could spot Ocean’s entourage putting up his merchandise in the booth. 

After eight hours of playing cards, singing Frank Ocean songs with our new found friends waiting in line with us and well, sitting in the 100 degree July heat, the doors to La Zona Rosa were finally opened to the impending nirvana that was Ocean’s channel ORANGE tour.

A lot of critics may say that Ocean does not have the same vocal range as an artist like ‘The Weeknd’ but clearly from his live performances, I beg to differ. Some of the notes Ocean hits on stage are equivalent to the likes of Prince and Stevie Wonder. Tracks that really emphasized Ocean’s wonderful range were “Strawberry Swing,” Thinkin’ ‘Bout You” and “Bad Religion.” 

Another bright spot of Ocean’s set was the simplicity of his show. He only had a guitarist, a bassist, a DJ, a drummer and a keyboarder on stage with him. 
Towards the end of “Pyramids,” Ocean allowed his amazing guitarist  to show off his skill alongside him where the guitar solo plays out the song. These instruments, in perfect unison with his voice, showed what a great and intimate performer Ocean is. Even though Ocean, the person, tended to be modest on stage, his music was anything but.

As I said before, Ocean recently came out in June about his sexuality as a result of a song from his current album entitled “Forrest Gump.” In the song, Ocean clearly talks about his infatuation for a guy, “Running on my mind boy…”  

When channel ORANGE first came out it was rather amazing to hear a man talking about another man in an adoring way but what was really mind-blowing was to see everyone at the show singing along with those same lyrics, girls and boys. There was no talk of “no homo” or things of that homophobic nature.

Ocean’s music is not only important to the world of R&B and Hip-Hop but also to society and the younger generation to show how accepting we have become.

He closed the show with a rendition of Beyoncé’s “I Miss You” that he penned for her 4 album. No disrespect to Queen B, but Ocean really should have kept that song for himself. He showcased his own keyboard playing skills for his grand finale. 

After this, he repeatedly said, “I love you,” to the crowd, shook people’s hands (me being one of them) and walked off the stage as simple as that. No elaborate production needed, just pure showmanship. 

The only fault about the show was that it was extremely short. It only lasted for about an hour and 15 minutes. However, being front row at Ocean’s concert was one of the greatest experiences of my life since I have been a fan of his music for a very long time now. 

It is impressive that Ocean performed his first show ever at the end of 2011. Considering that this is just the beginning of his soon to be legendary career, critics and music fans alike cannot wait to see what Ocean has in store for the world next.