It seems you don’t need to understand Die Antwoord to love them. It would not do justice to try to explain the wonderful, fleshed-out characters that Die Antwoord are in any small number of paragraphs(but this interview will do much better), just as I now realize all those YouTube videos and reviews I read do not capture how immense their live act is. Die Antwoord got a packed crowd to lose their inhibitions, jump, dance, and even sing along–all on a Tuesday night.

I walked into the venue relatively early to survey the scene and found more people dressed in costume than you’d see at a Flaming Lips show. People were clad in white shirts with Die Antwoord-inspired cartoons, replicas of Die Antwoord members’ tattoos, and Die Antwoord lyrics. It seems that Die Antwoord is well on their way to a cult following. Yet, even with all the mystery and story behind them, they have the casual fan as well. ”Yeah, my friend sent me a video of these guys last week, and I HAD to go,” said a nearby crowd member. And not only was he there, but he made it early to be right against the stage–a place where not even a press pass can prevent you from becoming a crushed and drenched part of the mess that is a Die Antwoord audience.

Die Antwoord came onto the stage after finally saying, “fuck it” to a projector that they could not get to work for 40 minutes. Ninja was dressed in the executioner outfit from the $O$ album cover, and Yo-Landi Vi$$er wore a cartoon-ridden robe. After a short intro track, they burst into the opening of “Enter the Ninja” complete with synchronized dance moves, Yo-Landi’s spot-on 12-year-old voice, and the crowd losing their collective shit. Ninja’s rapping was smooth and confident, as he darted around the stage flailing, dancing, and high-fiving the audience.  He gives off a complete tough-guy vibe on stage, and one is rightfully intimidated by his strong character, but at the same time when he cracked smiles between lines, it was heartwarming and possible to form an emotional connection with this seemingly unrelatable man.  Oh, and hearing a bunch of college-age white boys screaming lyrics in Afrikaans while “dancing” was absolutely wonderful. But hey, that’s dedication.

Following “Enter the Ninja”, a fight broke out in the audience, which Ninja promptly addressed. “Hey, stop it, love each other. None of this will matter tomorrow, so just fokken love each other, and be friends.” The man knows how to work a crowd, but he also knows how to tame that same beast. Die Antwoord plowed through “Wat Kyk Jy?”, inspiring synchronized jumping and floor-shaking. Yo-Landi bounced around stage and provided yelps and hype. ”Fish Paste” was introduced with a lesson on how to insult someone’s mother in Afrikaans, and people put that knowledge to use as Ninja put the microphone into the crowd, and you heard the overexcited screams of audience members.

Following that, Ninja got down to his iconic Dark Side of the Moon boxers and performed a solo rap. Yo-Landi, who was now in a cropped-top and gold tights, performed “Rich Bitch” as she hypersexually teased the crowd, politely saying, “Slap that ass, motherfucker!” while shuffling across the front of the stage. “Evil Boy” was a crowd-pleaser, with changed verses to accommodate the lack of guests from the album. ”$copie” and “In Your Face” flowed into each other, as Die Antwoord did not taper off the energy and kept the crowd going. Ending the set with the eight-minute “Beat Boy” had me impressed at Ninja’s ability to spit so many lines in one night without hiccup or pause.

As Die Antwoord left the stage, the crowd went ballistic for more, and a wasted girl in front of me tried to show me pictures of her kittens. Thanksfully, Die Antwoord soon came out, dressed in Pokémon Halloween costumes to perform “Doos Dronk” with its gregarious chanting reverberating through the hall. Synchronized jumping, Ninja somersaulting into the crowd, and Yo-Landi being Yo-Landi ended the night on a wonderfully high note. After an adorable good-bye from Yo-Landi, the night was over, and Die Antwoord had successfully scared Boston. And those who thought they had known what to expect had just had their expectations humped in the face by Ninja.

Setlist:
Intro/Enter the Ninja
Wat Kyk Jy?
Fish Paste
She Makes Me a Killer
Rich Bitch
Evil Boy
In Your Face
$copie
Beat Boy
Doos Dronk
——

Gallery by Michael Zonenashvilli

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