EVENT: Alive&Well DAMN Pop-Up Shop

Kendrick’s DAMN tour graced Tacoma Tuesday night as one stop on the West Coast leg
of his nationwide tour. TDE had made it known in early July that while on tour they would be
setting up pop-up shops in almost every city they touched down on and Seattle happened to be
one of them, where they set up shop at no other than Alive & Well on 705 E Pike. Inside, they
were offering exclusive tour apparel and merchandise while having a few city specific pieces for
the city they were in. In familiar Kendrick fashion the clothing was beyond affordable with the
most expensive item on the lineup being a tour jacket going for $65, while items inside had a
price point of roughly $35 dollars. The best part of the pop-up? The man himself making a brief
appearance before rushing to Tacoma to prepare for the show. While catching some footage
for what is believed to be a DAMN documentary, Kendrick walked down to Alive &
Well from the top of the hill, giving all the fans in line the opportunity to catch a glimpse of him.
It wasn’t until he reached the front of the line that people really caught on to what was going
on, due to the leisurely way he and his team were walking together. It was easy to miss his
casual demeanor. After throwing up a piece sign and burying his head deeper into his hoodie in
a bashful style, Kendrick was gone. But the best part of the pop-up? The crowd. The crowd was
diverse in a European sense and there was no lack of frat boys walking up the hill trying to flex
in tour jackets they would wear for one night. It was one of the best vibes I’ve gotten from what
should have been an excruciating experience. People had arrived as early as 7am and had
gotten in at roughly 1pm, but had no complaints. Someone had a speaker with his whole
discography (yes, even Overly Dedicated) playing and the general vibe was so casual. No one was
territorial about their spot, just roughly 300 people waiting to support Kdot for upwards of
three hours and it was a pretty good time. My biggest take away from the event was that
Kendrick showed up at all. A lot of people were upset that he didn’t stick around to sign shirts
or take pictures, but tons of artist don’t show up to their pop-ups at all. I feel as if that was a
sign of respect coming all the way to Seattle to show his appreciation for the support when he
had a show that started in six hours all the way in Tacoma.

Written & experienced by: Hana Tadesse

Photos by: D.White