It was a night to remember, and it all started with a pink and green ice cream cake from Cold Stone Creamery.
Roy Purdy, an Instagram famous personality, opened for Yung Gravy, a University of Wisconsin graduate and rapper, at the Majestic Theater Thursday, April 5. Born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin, Roy has made it big with his unique style of music, dance and skateboarding videos. His look throws back to the ‘80s with his signature asymmetrical pink and green sunglasses, and his smiley face logo is worn by fans all across the globe. The 20-year-old has millions of followers on multiple social media platforms, as well as 10s of thousands of monthly listeners on Spotify and SoundCloud.
The Instagram star is recognized as the No. 1 celebrity from Appleton, Wisconsin. Having been a performer for not very long, opening for Yung Gravy was his Madison debut.
I started developing mad respect for the Internet star after discovering his “when u graduated af” video, and ever since I’ve been a dedicated follower. When I heard he was to perform in Madison on the Gravy Train Tour Part 2, it had instantly become my mission to meet the guy and make an everlasting impression.
As an avid Instagram user, Roy can be easily contacted within the app. If you tag him in any of your pictures, he has access to seeing them, and if you’re lucky enough, you may be able to snag a like, or maybe even a comment.
My coworkers at Cold Stone heard my nonstop and ever-growing excitement for his and Yung Gravy’s Madison arrival, and when my manager surprised me with a buy-one-get-one promotional sign for the concert, a retweet by Yung Gravy and recognition from Purdy left me wondering what else was could make my everlasting impression.
I knew grasping their attention on Instagram was the key to meeting them. When the day of the concert came, my manager and I decided to make them a pink and green cake in hopes of reaching out to them. We tagged them in a picture and few hours after our post, we received confirmation Roy and his gang were on their way to the store. At this point, I knew I had to make an everlasting impression somehow, and my ticket in was the fact I know all the words to his song, "Livin These Days."
I mentioned this to Roy when he was in the store, and sooner or later I received an invitation to perform with him on stage. We gave them the cake, and with only a few hours left until the show, I knew this night would be one to remember for the rest of my life.
Jump to the concert, Roy was the second opener on the program. With on-stage appearances by his mother, Brenda Purdy, and younger brother, George Purdy, Roy still had one more guest to present. He surveyed the crowd for Roy Purdy merchandise, and my bright pink smiley face logo hat had gotten me pulled on stage. When the DJ hit the music, my life had turned into a movie as I was suddenly rapping with one my of favorite celebrities on stage at the Majestic Theater.
After the show, I was approached by many concertgoers congratulating me on a mind-blowing performance. I got comments like “that was awesome,” and “wow, how can you keep up with his rap?”
My night didn’t end there, as I somehow managed to make my way onto Yung Gravy’s tour bus and ended up hanging out with Roy’s mom in her hotel room. I ended the night with a signed pair of pink and green shades, as well as an autograph on my hat and shoes.
If you haven’t heard of him by now, this is your chance to familiarize yourself with his content. I expect Roy to return to Madison once he headlines his own tour. This great and genuine guy is worthy of your attention, and you won’t regret it.
I will never forget that night rapping on stage with Roy — hats off to you, Roy, you’ve seriously peaked my 2018.
