2hollis Concert Review: Energy Brought to the Roadrunner Stage

On Oct. 7, Hollis Parker Frazier-Herndon, known professionally as 2hollis, stopped by Boston’s Roadrunner as part of his “The Star Tour.” The tour celebrates the release of his fourth album, the titular project “star,” from April of this year.

2hollis first began to gain attention in 2022 with the release of his album “White Tiger.” He has since continued to amass popularity with his 2023 song “poster boy,” which was even included in EA Sports FC 24’s soundtrack, followed by 2024 singles “crush” and “jeans,” as well as his third studio album “boy.” 2hollis also performed as the opening act for rapper Ken Carson during his 2024 tour, expanding both his audience and visibility in mainstream rap.

The show began with two openers, rommulas and nate sib. Both are part of the music collective “boyliife,” which also includes 2hollis and two other good friends. rommulas began making music very recently and has only released two singles so far, both of which he performed as opener. Although his set was short, he began to build the energy that would eventually fill the venue. nate sib is the better known of the two openers, having released music since 2023. His set was longer and his high quality performance did an impressive job of getting the crowd moving and excited.

Unfortunately, there was an unusually long delay between nate sib’s set and 2hollis’s performance. Due to concerns about crowd-crushing and fire safety, 2hollis was not allowed on stage, resulting in an hour and 15 minute wait. Fans entertained themselves by singing, chanting, and displaying their phones to the crowd as they played mobile games.

Despite these delays, 2hollis’ performance was phenomenal once he got on stage. He brought the energy immediately with songs “flash” and “nerve” off of the “star” album. “I’m sorry for the wait, it wasn’t me,” he said to a crowd so delighted they seemed to have forgotten the holdup entirely. 2hollis went on to perform a number of songs off of his new album, alongside some older fan favorites such as “gold,” “whiplash,” and “poster boy,” which were all met with screams and jumps.

The crowd, for their part, did an incredible job of keeping their enthusiasm high throughout the concert. Almost every song induced multiple mosh pits, with limbs flailing and articles of clothing flying on every beat. Towards the end of the set, 2hollis brought nate sib back out to perform their song “afraid.” The pair jumped around together on stage, infecting the audience with excitement and joy.

The lighting and set design, meanwhile, cannot go without mention. A giant blow-up white tiger sat on stage behind 2hollis as he performed, sometimes emitting a loud growl. The lighting matched his aesthetic, often flashing white or red, and elevated the exhilarating environment.

The penultimate song of the set was “eldest child,” a slow acoustic track about 2hollis’ experience as the oldest brother in his family. It calmed the audience, who waved flashlights and swayed back and forth. However, the mood switched immediately when 2hollis jumped into his final song, 2023’s “jeans.” Consistent with the rest of the tour, he played the song back to back multiple times to close out the show. With each repetition of the song, the audience grew more and more hyped up, a testament to their love for the music.

Before leaving the stage, 2hollis took a bow. “I love you so much. Have a great night,” he said to the crowd. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Overall, the concert was a raging success. The buzz in the air remained long after the lights turned back on. Fans left the venue with wet hair and bruises — a sign of an evening well spent.

—Staff writer Najya S. Gause can be reached at najya.gause@thecrimson.com.