Kid Cudi performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on Aug. 21, 2022. Matt Pang/STAFF.

OAKLAND — Kid Cudi was long overdue to tour the final album of his Man on the Moon trilogy. The pandemic had a thing to do with that. But approaching two yeas since its release, Cudi is hitting the road, and sent his Oakland Arena audience over the moon on Sunday night.

As psychedelic visuals rendered onto a backing screen and the stage was illuminated, they revealed a lush floral scenery of flowers, grass and moss-covered stones. That’s when Kid Cudi took to the mic. He responded in time with a narrating voice, possibly that of actor Keith David, as the audience was guided into his mind.

Cudi opened with “Down & Out” and “Tequila Shots” as a vibrant red laser light show emanated from both the the rafters and the stage. More psychedelic visuals played on screen as pyrotechnics blasted behind him during “She Knows This.”

Kid Cudi performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on Aug. 21, 2022.

Prior to the next song, “Dive,” Cudi signed a fan’s vinyl record, speaking to the person over the microphone like a close friend: “This is for you,” he said as he handed it off. He then sat down and talked about how glad he was to be back on stage—and how long it had been since he had last smoked. This was a natural segue for a surprise appearance from King Chip, as he and Cudi went on to perform “Just What I Am” and “T.G.I.F.”

Many fans went wild when he kicked off “GHOST!” with the initial notes of the song. He introduced it by saying he’s had many requests for it.

Warbling blue lights zipped in the background as Cudi rapped “Mr. Solo Dolo III” and “By Design.” The crowd cheered and applauded throughout the performance, chanting Cudi’s name relentlessly between each song.

Kid Cudi performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on Aug. 21, 2022.

Next came the most iconic song off of Cudi’s debut mixtape, “Man On The Moon (The Anthem),” with fans singing along through every line. A series of ominous, fiery eyes covered the screens around Cudi on his next song, “Mr. Rager,” the titular character from the second Man on the Moon album. He then delivered an intimate performance of the vulnerable “The Void,” off his last record.

A high-energy double-dose of “Memories” and “Pursuit Of Happiness (Nightmare)” concluded the main set as Cudi seamlessly transitioned between the two. But once the lights dropped and he left the stage, repeated chants quickly summoed him back for an encore consisting of “The Prayer” and “love.”

It was an exceptional performance and a display of love for his passionate following. Cudi moved thousands of concertgoers with his rousing performance of new and classic songs alike. While it would’ve been nice to hear some cuts like “Day ‘N’ Nite (nightmare),” “MANIAC” and “Sky Might Fall,” he absolutely nailed it.

Denzel Curry performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on Aug. 21, 2022.

Denzel Curry, filling in for Don Tolliver, preceded Kid Cudi. Denzel maintained an extremely high energy throughout as he kicked his set off with “Walkin” and blasted through a number of his classic hits like “CLOUT COBAIN | CLOUT CO13A1N,” “RICKY,” “DIET_,” “SUMO | ZUMO” and “SPEEDBOAT.” Other songs off of Melt My Eyez See Your Future included “Ain’t No Way” and “Troubles,” culminating in a well rounded selection of Curry’s discography.

Rapper Strick opened the show, but numerous press were not allowed inside for his performance.

Follow hip-hop critic Tim Hoffman at Twitter.com/hipsterp0tamus.