Last month, one day before embarking on a headlining world tour, Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino told the AJC that he was most excited to see who comes to his shows this time around.
After all, it’s been six years since his last tour, and the new one marks his last performing under the Childish Gambino moniker.
“I’m kind of waiting to see how (connecting with the audience) will feel and also who shows up, like the type of people that show up because that always changes,” the 40-year-old said. “I feel like streaming has had an effect on who comes to the show because it used to be people who bought the album on some level, and now it’s people who may have heard the song through social media, or got into it this other way. It might be really young people or people who grew up on me.”
At the Atlanta stop of his New World Tour Monday night, fans came out in droves to see Childish Gambino one last time. Attendees of all ages and ethnicities packed the sold-out show — so much so that 30 minutes before call time, the security checkpoint line almost wrapped around an entire block outside of State Farm Arena.
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
In turn, Childish Gambino showered fans with the same love. He delivered a cinematic experience teeming with stunning visual effects that created a beautiful ode to the genre-bending musicianship his fans have embraced since the early 2010s.
Before any of that, though, Willow opened Monday’s concert promptly at 8 p.m. The singer wowed the crowd with her acoustic soul and punk-rock pain for nearly 40 minutes. Wearing a beige turtleneck while walking around barefoot, she dazzled the arena with her vocal whispers and shrieks. She performed fan-favorites like “Transparent Soul” and songs from her recent album “Empathogen.”
Her set proved that the breadth of her musicality is centered in just how loud and wild and free her voice can get when paired with live instrumentation.
“Atlanta is one of my favorite places to perform,” she told the crowd. “You guys are just lit.”
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
Willow’s angelic staging was swiftly traded for innovative technology. There were two tall lighting towers set on both sides of the stage, laser lights and a huge batch of crystal rods at the end of the walkway leading to the crowd. At 9:15 p.m., the lights starting glitching, turning the arena into a post-apocalyptic universe. About five minutes later, Childish Gambino graced the second stage near the back of the venue.
He wore a black leather space suit, with a helmet to match, and stood completely still during the opening minutes. While red lights beamed across the stage, Gambino performed “Hearts Were Meant to Fly,” the first track from his new album “Bando Stone and the New World.” He later took the helmet off and traveled through the crowd to get to the second stage and formally greeted the audience.
“I got a few rules. The first rule is try to keep your hands away from the beams. It’s new technology (and) a lot of stuff. Rule number two really is — this show is for the fans, so I need everybody to have as much fun as humanly possible tonight. This is for you. This is for my hometown.”
It doesn’t take long to realize that his voice is a bit hoarse (he later admitted that he had the flu a few days ago), but that didn’t stop him from using most of his vocal capabilities. In fact, his voice seemed to improve as the show progressed. For nearly two hours, Gambino captivated fans with electric choreography, charming stage presence and a collection of hits that kept the crowd entertained.
For “The Worst Guys” (a track from his 2013 album “Because the Internet”), he rapped with the same youthful fervor he displayed when the song debuted while gliding across the stage with funky dance moves. When he performed songs like “I. Crawl” and the Yeat-assisted “Cruisin,” Gambino invited the crowd to bounce as hard as they could — resulting in a cathartic bounce session that made even the less enthused feel compelled to jump as well. Standing still was not an option, (because the vibrations from the crowd forcefully rippled throughout the venue).
During the first half of the show, the Stone Mountain native took time to spread love to his hometown. He mentioned that he attended his first concert in 1991. Gambino was in first grade at the time. The acts? Kris Kross, TLC and ABC at the Fox Theatre.
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
“That blew my mind. I was like, if one day I could be on the Fox Theatre stage and perform in Atlanta, (then) I’ve made it. ... It’s crazy to see all of these lights and every single one of you guys out here, and I’m in the State Farm Arena.”
He later headed backstage for an intermission while still performing. He sang the soothing melodies of “No Excuses.” It felt more like a commercial break than a typical intermission because at no point did Gambino stop singing or talking to the crowd. He continued sharing his love for Atlanta — referencing his time spent hanging out in Little Five Points and how the city made his dreams come true.
With his helmet back on, he returned to the stage to perform “Me and Your Mama” (the opener from 2016′s “Awaken My Love”) and his Grammy-winning single “This Is America.” With each song, Gambino got deeper into the groove until his body movements became one with his voice.
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
This became especially true with his rendition of the hit song “Redbone.” He performed most of the song while walking through the crowd and gyrating as if he’d just caught the holy spirit during a Sunday morning church service. His screams were spiritual. His facial expressions were giant. In case you forgot for one moment during the concert that Gambino is also an award-winning actor and writer, his performance of “Redbone” offered a salient reminder.
Gambino ended the show with his newest jam “Lithonia.” Across roughly 30 songs, he produced a well-orchestrated showcase that became a fitting finale for the musical series that was Childish Gambino.
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