Live Report: A$AP Rocky sets 3Arena ablaze with bass

A$AP Rocky waited nearly eight years to release a follow-up to his 2018 album Testing, so it feels fair to say that Don’t Be Dumb comes as his most highly-anticipated album yet.

With a visual style designed in collaboration with filmmaker Tim Burton, the 17-track record feels characteristically different to what A$AP has produced for so long, but not in a way that is inauthentic. Not to mention, it has one of the most impressive lists of collaborators of any of his albums: Tyler The Creator, Brent Faiyaz, Gorillaz, Westside Gunn, Doechii.

His return comes with a bang, as the past few years have seen A$AP slow down considerably. The 3Arena crowd feel that expectation as helicopter whirring begins to blare.

“A$AP, A$AP, A$AP,” the crowd chants.

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“Are you ready?” A$AP blares, not yet visible. “I said are you fucking ready?” The crowd roars in response. Suddenly, he’s amongst the pit who are already going crazy, enclosed by a circle of dancers, some dressed in all white and others in SWAT-team uniforms, twirling shirts like helicopter blades. He speaks into a megaphone.

“Back up, back up, back up,” he says. “I said back up, back up. Back up, back up, back up.”

“Pack out the trunk from the front to the back.”

The music for ‘Trunks’ begins to play and the bass blares, vibrating all of Dublin. If it’s possible for the crowd to become even more hype, they do. The dancers circling A$AP jump and groove. The pit sways, screaming the hypnotic chant to the fast street anthem.

Although security are working hard to ensure no one gets too close, A$AP looks like he’s at a house party – completely at ease in the crowd. He performs the next few songs there, all new, including ‘HIGHJACK’ which captures what Don’t Be Dumb is all about. The track is grim futurism eternalised – blending genres and featuring ethereal vocals from folk artist Jessica Pratt and background harmonies from Jon Batiste. The lyrics flex his industry influence, referencing his past work, fashion and status while touching on the heavy scrutiny surrounding his fame – for which the military theme serves as a metaphor for.

Next up, Moby gets a special shout out as a sample of ‘Porcelain’ plays, ushering in ‘A$AP Forever’. A$AP has now appeared walking around the barricade to the back of the stage. A few minutes later, the psychedelic track begins as he appears above the crowd, standing atop a helicopter suspended to the ceiling. The track itself feels like a younger brother to ‘HIGHJACK’ – that same genre-bending, celestial sound and reflective lyrics.

A$AP Rocky at 3Arena on September 2, 2026. Credit: Zoltan Szabo.

Dancers march in the doors of the warship-shaped main stage, dressed in their SWAT team uniforms. Unsurprisingly, ‘HELICOPTER’ comes next and the audience take the lyrics literally as A$AP sings, “take my white tee off, spin it like a helicopter.” The bass becomes even heavier and he begins to jump on the helicopter’s thin rail as the dancers swing t-shirts. If that wasn’t enough, floating helicopter balloons soar over the audience, flashing lights out at the crowd as the drill beat shakes the stage.

Finally, A$AP descends upon the flames which surround the stage, hopping off the helicopter as ‘ORDER OF PROTECTION’ begins to play. Serving as the opening synopsis to Don’t Be Dumb and addressing his eight-year hiatus, the track highlights A$AP’s resilience and passion for the craft of music even after taking his eight-year break.

A few more new songs follow, each amping up the energy of the crowd. He grabs a flag someone has flung onto the stage and holds it up, showing the album cover for Long. Live. A$AP, before returning to the top of the helicopter for ‘STFU’ and asking everyone to scream the words, which they do.

The microphone has now transformed into a bazooka and at one point he takes off his ski mask and hoodie, naturally causing a chorus of high-pitched screams.

 

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The rest of his set gives audiences the classic tracks they've been waiting for – beginning with ‘Sundress’, which transforms Tame Impala’s pulsing, hazy guitar riffs into an upbeat, groovy dance track. The song embodies the end of summer: bittersweet and warm. A$AP jumps around the stage, not that he'd have to do much to make the crowd go wild.

“How many of you been fucking with A$AP since day one, this is one of my first songs,” he says, introducing the start to ‘Purple Swag’.

Evidently, quite a few are day ones as everyone knows the words to the electronic track. The song captures how far A$AP’s come in the development of his style, as it’s entirely different to his most recent work, with a more Southern rap-inspired feel rather than a Tim Burton aesthetic. The classics do have a unique appeal.

The next two songs he dedicates to the ladies in the room, beginning with ‘Fuckin’ Problems’ and following with ‘Fashion Killa’, which gets the audience swaying.

For ‘LSD’ sparks begin to drip from the ceiling. The entire set has striking visuals, but this particular moment stands out as the audience is transported to a sunset-tinted blue ocean while A$AP stands atop the warship. The trippy track fills the arena with an altered state of consciousness before, fittingly, ‘Smoked Away My Brain’ begins to play. The song gives that same vibe as 'LSD' but on a darker level, slowing down the set.

Preparing for his last hurrah, A$AP delivers a message:

“Don’t drink and drive, don’t have unprotected sex with strangers, don’t take any drugs from any strangers tonight, don’t be a motherfucking hater, spread some fucking love in your heart, don’t be no fucking racist and, last but not least, don’t be dumb.”

‘DON’T BE DUMB / TRIP BABY’, the namesake of his new record, blares as A$AP commands the stage.

The encore, ‘Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2’ comes last, much to the audience’s excitement. The Southern-influenced, heavy trap beat booms out and the energy is there until the very end, rounding out his impressive performance.