When Rico Nasty took the Irving Plaza stage on October 15, she didn’t just perform, she pummeled the room with a tidal wave of sound, style, and sheer force of personality. From the second the lights dropped at 9 pm, to the final encore, it was an hour-plus of mayhem, bass booming and electricity throughout the pavilion.
Irving Plaza, known for its tight viewpoints and vertical balconies, felt both cozy and combustible. The crowd, fiercely loyal and wide-ranging in age, had packed the floor by the time the opening act, Sadboi, exited. When Rico emerged, she was already in full persona: snarling, gloved, and electric. The first track dropped before she uttered a greeting the prelude to a nonstop ride.
What sets Rico’s sets apart is how she doesn’t just rage she tempers it. Midway through, she eased into “Normal,” her vocals swelling with melody before the beat snapped back into intensity. She paused between songs to glance into the crowd, sometimes speaking in short bursts “New York, you’re sick,” she grinned before diving back into full throttle. The transition from aggressive tracks like “Smack a Bitch” to more introspective hits felt less like a shift and more like one big motion picture.
Rico didn’t entirely ignore her back catalog. She ripped through “Poppin,” whipping the crowd into a frenzy, before spinning into “Rage” which, at Irving, felt more ritual than a concert song. That section allowed for a momentary cooldown hands in the air, breaths catching before she snapped back into the finale.
Rico Nasty at Irving Plaza wasn’t just a concert, it was a statement. She proved she remains as compelling live as in any viral clip: unpredictable, intense, charismatic, and unwilling to sound or feel like anything but herself. For fans who’ve grown with her, it felt vindicating. For newcomers, it felt like initiation. For more on Rico Nasty’s Lethal North America tour, check it out here.
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