The fifth stop of the 3L World Tour brought Earl Sweatshirt to the House of Blues Las Vegas this week. The Los Angeles rapper, two months removed from releasing his fifth studio album Live Laugh Love, put on a controlled, laidback set that spoke to all the strengths he possesses as a seasoned artist.
Before he stepped onstage, a trio of openers set the tone for the rest of the night. First was Inglewood-based Cletus Strap, who put on a playfully nonchalant performance to get the night going. His casual flow swam through his catalog, including several tracks from 2024’s What Might Happen. Detroit’s Zelooperz followed, bouncing on stage wearing a bright beanie and jacket combo that got the room’s attention. The quirky hip-hop artist started and stopped a few tracks before finding an energy he enjoyed and seemed to particularly settle into the night with an audience-aided rendition of “Fuck Cigarettes” from his latest record. Synced up with the Vegas crowd, Zelooperz bounded across the stage performing to the crowd he called “cute” throughout the set.
The last opener, Liv.e, arrived on stage in a striking manner- her bounty of curls, fur coat across her shoulders and accenting red solo cup in hand. She jokingly admitted she was nursing a hangover after everyone on tour enjoyed the Las Vegas nightlife, but she kicked into gear for a smooth and sensual run of songs. The Dallas singer flexed her powerful voice across a myriad of songs before relinquishing the stage to the night’s main event.
Earl Sweatshirt strolled onstage rocking a Los Angeles Dodgers hat and chunky Nikes as the instrumental track Riot! played, allowing him to thank the openers and the crowd for their energy all evening. Mostly focusing on his catalog from the last seven years, Sweatshirt showed off his uncanny ability to swim through deft wordplay, thick metaphors and winking punchlines to a chorus of choppy samples without skipping a beat. The distinct production gave the audience a clear idea of the song to come and an opportunity for fans to either whip phones out to record their favorite songs or rap along with the former Odd Future member with glee.
Sweatshirt- whose lyrics do not discriminate from darker and sadder themes along with the playfulness you’d expect from someone who has been rapping since he was a teenager- later exclaimed, “Make some noise if you f*** with living!” This moment matched the vibe of his latest record as he speaks on the life changes he’s undergone in 2025.
Speaking to his longevity in the game, fans shouted for songs from his acclaimed projects Doris and I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside, and while he did play “Molasses”, he good-naturedly rebuffed requests for “Grief” from his sophomore album.
“You guys are shouting, ‘Grief,’ at me, do you know how crazy that is?” Sweatshirt laughed. “That’s like if I said: ‘Sorrow! Death!’”
After hopscotching through tracks from Some Rap Songs, SICK! and his collaborations with The Alchemist, he exited for a moment before returning for a performance of “New Faces v2”, a song from the late Mac Miller with whom Sweatshirt shared a strong friendship. That final moment paid homage to Miller and Pittsburgh before raising one hand to the sky and sending the fans back out into the neon glow of Las Vegas.
