As Paak kicked off with Come Down, fans pushed and shoved their way to the front, while others climbed onto seats, bins and shoulders trying to get a better view.
What they saw was an artist having an absolute blast, delivering a set that proved those life-affirming albums of his, Malibu and Venice, are absolutely no flukes.
He mixed up his songs, teased some Dr Dre, joined his band the Free Nationals on drums, jumped and danced around a lot, and told the crowd it was one of his favourite shows.
I'd love to tell you more about it, but I was stuck in a human sweat bath and quickly gave up trying to take notes.
But The Season/Carry Me was just beautiful, Glowed Up a throbbing highlight, and Lite Weight a woozy dream. I loved it all.
I saw a lot of stuff at Laneway yesterday, from Sylvan Esso's perfectly glitchy electronica, to Wolf Alice's fierce grunge riot and Die! Die! Die!'s feisty, spiky guitar rawk.
But it's Paak's joyous set that will stay with me long after the heat from this searing summer fades.
Once he'd finished his short set (55 minutes was not enough Laneway!) I packed my bag and began a long, slow walk home.
Sorry Father John Misty and The War on Drugs, there was no topping that. In fact, Paak's set might not be beat for a fair few Laneways to come.
Who: Anderson Paak
Where: Laneway, Albert Park, Auckland
When: Monday, January 29
