Nav reigns at The Masonic

Post Author: Chloe Catajan

The Canadian rapper brought his dynamic Never Sleep tour to San Francisco

Nav brought his Never Sleep tour to The Masonic in San Francisco last week, making his first Bay Area appearance since Rolling Loud Festival nearly four years ago. During that time, the Canadian rapper dropped his third studio album, Good Intentions; took on notable collaborations with Travis Scott, Lil Baby, and Lil Uzi Vert; and, most recently, released his newest project, 2023’s Demons Protected By Angels, which made several Billboard charts including number 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop.

Now, as the Toronto rapper reaches the tail end of his long-awaited tour, it goes without saying that even with all that he has going on, Nav keeps things fan-focused. 

Nav didn’t keep fans waiting too long before hopping onstage. DJ TJ Banks hyped up the crowd with quick mixes of Metro Boomin and Future’s “Superhero,” Lil Uzi Vert’s “All My Friends Are Dead” and “Just Wanna Rock” before bringing Nav on to perform an hour-long set. He opened with “Never Sleep,” “To My Grave,” and “Baby.”

Photos by Chloe Catajan

During the third song, Nav noticed a fan in the front row holding out a Sharpie and a sign that read “Flew from India for Nav.” The rapper took both and placed it onstage to sign later in the night. Interactions between Nav and the audience didn’t stop from there. He called out to fans on both lower and higher levels of the venue, rallying the crowd for support on some vocals and conducting everyone to throw their hands in the air in sync. When Nav would jump to the beat of his verse, the crowd would naturally follow, rocking The Masonic at a constant pulse. 

Later, Nav brought out surprise guest, Bay Area’s own Offset Jim, to perform “No Pressure” together. He then closed the set with “Tap” and “Turks.” You can scroll through the photos below for more highlights.

All Photos by Chloe Catajan