Too many bars had been written.

Too many years of hard work had passed.

Too many proverbial brick walls had been overcome.

For a night like Thursday’s to happen.

So, you’ll have to forgive Frsh Waters if he ended his first-ever headlining show past its allotted time. Not that he felt the need to apologize, nor did anyone in the room request it. In fact, those present at the sold-out Schubas were more than willing to stay throughout the entire night.

The openers, Senite and Shawnee Dez, recognized the significance of the event and delivered terrific performances on par with their talent, building anticipation for Frsh's appearance.

By the time Frsh hit the stage, the energy in the room soared to unprecedented heights, a testament to all the family, friends, and fans that were there as a captive audience. Without delay, he delved into the impressive catalog he’s been building in the past couple of years, including tracks like “Velour Sweatsuit,” “Pray N’ Repent,” and my personal favorite, “YWU.”

Known as a pillar of leadership, inspiration, and strength within Pivot Gang, Frsh has never been above embracing a supporting role for his comrades. However, Thursday was a reminder of his own star power and gravitas.

In my eyes, Frsh is the perennial big brother figure to Pivot and its extended family, and this feeling was validated by seeing him yield his time to other artists, including shedding light on two young rappers who put in an electrifying performance that felt eerily similar to hearing Lil Herb and Lil Bibby on “Kill Shit” for the first time a decade ago.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Pivot Gang function without appearances from fellow members and MFnMelo and Saba popped out for solo and group songs (“LL Cool J,” “hue_man nature” & “Hero”).

Throughout the night, people smiled and laughed (and some even shed a tear), with the capstone being Frsh’s inspiring words about overcoming obstacles. “Brick walls” he called them. And if there’s one thing Frsh music and words will make you want to do is run through those brick walls and do it with your loved ones. I think it’s one of the reasons Pivot is still in it 10+ years strong. It’s definitely the reason why nobody wanted to leave that room after the lights went on.