Eleven years ago, heavily dissatisfied with their lives, two cousins began their music careers as well as their record label Grey Five Nine Records. Today, they’re headlining shows all over the world — cultivating one of music’s most loyal fan bases and a beacon of hope for listeners everywhere.
Cousins Scott “Scrim” Arceneaux Jr. and Aristos “Ruby da Cherry” Petrou have created a yearly tradition among their fan base. Debuting in 2019, New Orleans’ underground rap duo $uicideboy$ hit the road with their annual Grey Day Tour, showcasing other well-known artists of the underground rap world each year. This year’s lineup included $uicideboy$, BONES, Night Lovell, Germ, Chetta and Joeyy.
Until 2023, the duo performed in small-scale settings — including Pittsburgh’s Stage AE in 2021 and 2022. Since then, they’ve transitioned to large-scale arenas, even selling out shows. This year, they’ve gone back to their roots, performing outdoors in amphitheaters.
At one point, they were selling out arenas. Now, they were back to performing in venues just as they did when the tour started, wanting to bring back the same nostalgic feeling from their early tour days.
After securing a spot at the barricade at last year’s Grey Day, I knew I would never go back to regular seats. With the artist 8 feet away, why would you? Unfortunately, there is an answer — ticket prices.
I knew I would be spending more on a ticket, but I didn’t think there would be a $600 increase. I couldn’t justify spending more than $500 on a ticket. Eventually, I, along with other devoted fans, came to our senses — we wouldn’t have the same glorious view as last year.
Even with limited time, each opener put on a memorable introduction to the $uicideboy$. I was disappointed to see Chetta didn’t include “Poydras” — a track featuring $uicideboys — on his setlist. Overall, he still performed quite well and was a great start to the show.
Next, Germ performed some of his biggest hits, including “Han Solo,” “Yung Minor Threat,” “Bag of Dope” and “AWKWARD CAR DRIVE.”
Shortly after Germ finished his set, Night Lovell began his performance — an artist I’ve had on my must-see list for years now, especially since I couldn’t make it to his 2024 tour titled “I hope you’re happy.”
Sometimes, songs sound better live. Hearing “GOLDEN TICKET,” “PLEASE DON’T GO,” “Joan of Arc” and “FREAK” live is something I’d do all over again. I was even more satisfied hearing some of my favorites by him, including “Deira City Centre,” “Jamie’s Sin” and “Dark Light.”
Finally, the most-anticipated opener entered the stage — BONES. As an avid fan of underground and emo rap, it’s safe to say I was almost as excited to watch him as I was $uicideboy$ — the tour’s headliners. BONES opened his set with “AirplaneMode” and went on to perform tracks like “Sodium,” “HDMI” and “CtrlAltDelete.” BONES exceeded my expectations.
With $uicideboy$’ newest album, “Thy Kindgom Come,” releasing on Aug. 1, the tour highlighted its newest releases. BONES and Night Lovell, both featured on the album, joined the duo on stage during their songs “Now and at the Hour of our Death” and “Carried Away.”
As if the crowd wasn’t already buzzing with energy, the album’s most popular track, “Napoleon,” had everybody on their feet. Unlike the album’s other tracks that delve into themes of suicide and addiction, “Napoleon” shares a much more upbeat vibe.
The shows typically opened with the same entrance — the introduction to the duo’s devoted DJ, DJ Crystal Meth, with “7th or St. Tammany” as the introductory song. Eventually, the music slowed down, stopped and either “Dead Batteries” or “COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS” played as the two cousins made their way on to the stage.
This year, the show featured older songs like “Harve$t Moon,” “I WANT TO BELIEVE” and “New Chains, Same Shackles.” One fan-favorite, “Drugs/Hoes/Money/Etc.” — a never-before-performed song — debuted during their first show in West Palm Beach, Florida. The show wouldn’t be complete without their most-popular song, “And to Those I Love…Thanks for Sticking Around.”
The future of the Grey Day Tour seemed questionable to fans, considering Arceneaux recently got married and the two cousins are getting older. However, in a recent interview with Billboard, the two expressed their interest in continuing the tour for years to come, even if they don’t perform.
I highly recommend attending a Grey Day show. I’ve made so many friends standing in lines waiting for doors to open or in general admission that I wouldn’t have made anywhere else.