Don Toliver’s “Hardstone Psycho” tour in Brooklyn: A comprehensive review
Don Toliver’s long-anticipated “Hardstone Psycho” tour took place in Brooklyn, where Toliver performed to a packed Barclays Stadium. Several surprise guest performers appeared at the New York show, including Lil Tecca, Sheck Wes, and Dababy.
Photography by Iya Wakil/The Barnard Bulletin
By Iya Wakil
January 8, 2025
On Monday, November 11, thousands of fans gathered at Barclays Stadium in Brooklyn to see Don Toliver’s “Hardstone Psycho” Tour. Toliver gained popularity for his incredible set and performances on his “Thee Love Sick” tour last year. As a fan of his music and an avid concertgoer, I knew I would not be disappointed by this live performance of his recently released album, “Hardstone Psycho.”
Several openers performed before Toliver took center stage, including Molly Santana and Monaleo, as well as surprise appearances by Dababy and Ski Mask the Slump God. Although I was not familiar with Molly Santana or Monaleo, my inner middle schooler was ecstatic to see Ski Mask and DaBaby perform, as they were some of the first artists I listened to when developing my hip-hop and rap music tastes. Classics such as DaBaby’s “Suge” and Ski Mask’s “Faucet Failure” invoked feelings of strong nostalgia within the audience.
After the openers, the curtains on the stage dropped, revealing Don Toliver’s set. This included the “globe of death,” a giant metal cage where motorcyclists would later perform stunts synonymous with the album’s biker and motorcycle-centered aesthetics. Soon after, Toliver came on stage performing the album's opening track, “Kryptonite,” greeted by a roar of cheering and applause from the audience. His guitarist, dressed as a cowboy, soon became a crowd favorite shredding away on his guitar. Some of the most notable songs Toliver performed from his recent album included “Tore Up,” “No Pole,” and “Bandit.” Toliver also performed some of his most iconic songs from the rest of his discography, including “Best You Had” and “No Idea.”
Surprise performers also appeared during Toliver’s set in his New York performance, including Lil Tecca and Sheck Wes, who performed their most notable songs alongside Toliver, including Tecca’s “500lbs” and Toliver and Wes’s “GANG GANG.”
Arguably the most entertaining aspect of the show was the two motorcyclist stuntmen performing in the Sphere of Death on stage. Flames shot out from all angles of the stage while the guitarist shredded away on his guitar, and Toliver sang “Bandit” while the motorcyclists were on stage.
Shrika Patel (CC ‘28) and I were excited to finally see Don Toliver perform live. When asked about her experience, Shrika said that the concert “greatly changed [her overall] view on concerts and completely exceeded [her] expectations.”
Overall, the Don Toliver concert experience was definitely worth it. Between the incredible set, surprise performances, and the stuntmen, the concert truly did not disappoint and lived up to the expectations that Shrika and I had for the rap artist.