The life of an opening act can be tough. Their sole purpose is to “open” – whatever it is they’re opening. A door for the main act? Maybe. In any case, playing minutes before the main attraction is a serious challenge. Except when you’re Tommy Cash. Tommy Who?
I’m originally from Estonia, and so is Tommy Cash, a 28-year old rapper, singer, and conceptual artist. He has roots in Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, but he was born in Estonia, a tiny European country south of Finland. I’m biased, of course, and super excited, since there are not too many Estonian pop acts who’ve made it internationally. Cash has. Playing at Concord Music Hall in Chicago is no minor thing, even for an opening act (for Oliver Tree, in case you wondered). Tommy Cash has 700K followers on Instagram – a number equal to half the population of his home country, and that is no small accomplishment, either.
So, who and – perhaps more importantly – what is Tommy Cash? Well, he’s many things. Weird. Strange. Intriguing. Satisfying. Intimidating. Scary. Crazy. Pretty friggin’ fabulous. Click here and see, no, feel for yourself. And oh – his name is spelled TOMM¥ €A$H.
Tommy Cash understands that the only way to make an impact these days is disruption, especially when you’re a musician from Eastern Europe. He uses loads of visuals during his live shows and to say they are disturbing is an understatement. Tommy Cash should carry a parental advisory label the size of Illinois. Or California, as his name is getting bigger by the day. Next time Cash is in town, he might be doing Lollapalooza (as a headliner, in case you wondered).
