On Sunday night, Canadian rapper bbno$ brought The Internet Explorer Tour to Prague’s SaSaZu club alongside support from Bishu and Jungle Bobby. The show was sold out well in advance and this eclectic lineup delivered a party like we’d never seen before.
Bishu started things off with a 15-minute DJ set to get the crowd warmed up. He and his cameraman did just that; Bishu alternated between his computer and the front of the stage while the cameraman doubled as a hypeman. The cameraman’s energy was off the charts, jumping around with a microphone and sunglasses as the video he captured of both Bishu and the crowd was projected onto the big screen. The set was short and sweet, the perfect opener for the party to come.
Jungle Bobby was up next. His unique flair caught the crowd’s attention right away. With his colorful pants, gold boots, white ruffled top, and heart-shaped sunglasses, he looked like a modern-day hippie — fans ate it up.
Bobby’s set was a mix of groovy tunes and camaraderie with the crowd, with everyone, including Bobby himself, constantly throwing up peace signs. Between songs, he asked the crowd to choose a magic word for the rest of the evening and held the mic out to fans at the barricade. In true Czech fashion, the magic word became the swear word “kurdva.” The audience was delighted to hear Jungle Bobby screaming “kurdva” for the rest of the night.
As psychedelic visuals rotated on the screen behind him, Jungle Bobby sauntered through his set, taking time to connect with the audience and preach love at every opportunity. He joked that bbno$ sometimes calls him a cult leader, and Prague fans were certainly happy to be members.
Awaiting bbno$‘s set, the sold-out room was packed from front to back, including the balcony, and fans were certainly feeling the heat. As bbno$’s keyboardist hobbled onto the stage (he had a broken foot) and sat down, fans went insane. An array of spotlights shone down on one spot on the elevated turf surface in front of the screen waiting for bbno$ to arrive, and the screen depicted old photos of bbno$ with a retro Internet Explorer browser feel. Bishu returned to the stage, settling in behind his computer.
When bbno$ finally walked onstage, the crowd erupted. He stepped into the spotlight and held up his hand — a small Krtek (a Czech cartoon character) figure was perched on his index finger. He broke into “bag TF up” and “come to brazil” from his recently released self-titled album, eventually coming to the front of the stage and jumping excitedly along with the crowd. His smile and energy level made it clear he was just as excited as the crowd was to be there, everyone in the room dancing through the heat and the sweat.
The visuals changed to Charli xcx’s iconic brat green as he went into a cover of “I Don’t Care” by Icona Pop and Charli xcx. The beginning of his set was defined by high energy, engaging graphics, and, of course, Krtek — whether he was marching to a song’s intro, saluting the crowd, or dancing, Krtek remained.
bbno$ shot to fame partially because of his catchy commentary on pop culture and internet trends through his music, and this was evident through his visuals and in his way of speaking with the crowd — this is someone they can relate to on a human level, who can harness these trends and make them his own. When he began to meow at the crowd before heading into a sad cat version of Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?”, fans immediately started meowing along.
He paused to comment on the heat, asking the venue to hand out water and promising to bring a hose next time. Giving both himself and his fans a break, he reached out to the barricade and gathered some gifts fans had made for him, opening a pack of custom trading cards and reading them out to the crowd. He even spotted a sign that said “bless our future marriage,” and obliged even though he said he didn’t know how to bless things, having the crowd repeat phrases wishing them well.
Once everyone was sufficiently hydrated, he brought the energy back up with “antidepressants,” complete with heavy beats and laser lights dancing around the room. Jungle Bobby also joined him on stage again and would stay for the rest of the set.
The next few songs were hit after hit: “edamame,” “hot topic,” and “1-800.” He commented that he remembered playing “1-800” for the first time in Prague before it was even released, saying he didn’t expect the song to go as hard as it did at the time.
Nearing the end of his set, it was time for bbno$ to give away the cookbook; it’s become tradition for him on this tour to gift a cookbook to one fan at the end of each show that he’s seen going the hardest. As he announced who would be receiving the cookbook, it was revealed that the chosen one had left, so bbno$ pivoted. Instead, he had two fans tell a joke to compete for the cookbook, and the contest, at bbno$’s request, was judged by another fan who had come dressed as Jesus.
After closing with his viral hit “lalala,” bbno$ and his friends left the stage, but the fans didn’t go anywhere. Amid persistent chants of “bbno$,” he, Jungle Bobby, his keyboardist, and Bishu returned to the stage for an epic 3-song encore consisting of “pogo,” “top gun,” and “why am i like this.” Fans jumped along to the beat so hard we could feel the balcony shaking.
bbno$, Bishu, and Jungle Bobby brought an epic party to SaSaZu. bbno$’s set was almost 2 hours long, and even that didn’t seem to be long enough for the crowd. His rapping was on point the whole time, and he combined it with dynamic visuals, an energetic light show, and heavy beats that shook the whole room.
His down-to-earth way of speaking with the crowd was another highlight, making fans feel truly involved in the experience as he promised he would always make music and come back to Prague for the rest of his life. And we can’t forget how he brought all his friends out on stage — Bishu was there the whole time, and Jungle Bobby accompanied them for the second half of the set. Clearly this is an artist who loves making and playing music with his friends, and this was evident in how he shared his spotlight.
After he thanked fans for “surfing on the Internet Explorer tour,” the crowd left in a sweaty, smiley daze. No doubt they’re already looking forward to the next time he comes to Prague.
bbno$ has one more tour date in Europe before heading over to North America for a few shows. He’ll spend the next few months bouncing across the two continents for festival appearances — be sure to catch his set if you’re there. Tickets are available here.
bbno$ Tour Dates:
5/28 – Bratislava, SK @ Majestic Music Club
6/5 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
6/12 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo
6/25 – Barcelona, ES @ Razzmatazz
6/28 – Villeurbanne, FR @ Le Transbordeur
7/3 – Lisbon, PT @ LAV
7/11 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
8/1 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
8/15 – Budapest, HU @ Sziget Festival
8/20 – Paralimni, CY @ Nava Seaside Protaras
8/24 – Vilnius, LT @ Lukiškės Prison
8/25 – Riga, LV @ Palladium Riga
8/29 – Munich, DE @ Olympiapark
