With a hop, skip, and a jump from Cleveland, Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, gave an impeccable performance at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA, on August 20, for his alter ego’s farewell New World Tour. The show was indeed a grand finale deserving of the massive crowd. With impressive lights, flawless vocals, bass that could be felt in the chest, and an energy that cannot be replicated, not a single person (aside from the journalists) used their seats.
Willow opened the night with a setlist that got people smiling and dancing from her R&B/Pop tunes like “symptom of life,” “Wait a Minute!,” and “t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l” which got everybody perfectly amped up for the headliner.
Childish Gambino began on a second stage, dressed as an astronaut with the lights shining down on him as if sending life into the suit via laser. From there, he made his way through the crowd to the main stage, sending the photographers running to avoid collision at the base of the steps. For much of the first half of the concert, songs from his recent sophomore release (and self-reported final album), ‘Bando Stone and the New World’ dominated the setlist, to no complaint from the audience, with tracks such as: “In The Night,” “Yoshinoya,” and “Steps Beach.”
If Glover’s jumping, dancing, and dashing around the stage weren’t enough, the display of lights surrounding him added a new dimension to the performance. The fog throughout the arena allowed geometric light planes to act almost as shifting set pieces while Glover moved about the space. Numerous hanging pendant lights over the center stage created waves, not only in movement but with their hues as well. At one point, the singer’s face was depicted on them, grooving along with the man himself.
At no point did the energy fade. Even during Glover’s backstage break, the music kept the crowd invested with its smooth bass, keys, and strings. While on the surface, the break seemed just a point to introduce the other musicians and recoup–using the time to “enjoy that edible” or “take that edible”–in reality, it was a show of misdirection. The moment set up a trick–the screens depicted Glover redressing as an astronaut and climbing the stairs to the stage. The audience had no choice but to assume that the figure was Glover himself, though much less enthusiastic than he had been. We were soon proven wrong when Childish Gambino reemerged on the second stage as lively as ever, causing a mass double-take.
After performing “Me and Your Mama” and a shortened “Do Ya Like,” Glover again returned to the main stage through the crowd. Once there, “This is America” began, and the fans went wild. The stage remained bright for the verses, but when the beat dropped for the refrain, everything went red. Following was a series of shortened Childish Gambino classics from his 2011 debut album, ‘Camp’ including “Les,” “Heartbeat,” and “Bonfire,” in addition to “Freaks and Geeks,” from his EP released the same year. Since the audience proved they were true fans–and beat Toronto–the next song was their choice between “Final Church” and “III. Telegraph Ave (“Oakland” by Lloyd)” and judging by the cheers, “Telegraph Ave” won.
The heavy bass that had been a familiar character throughout the evening made its mark during the intermission of solely bass after “3005”–it was meant to have a variation in pitch, yet it only managed to persist as one tone. Regardless, the audience responded with vigor.
The grand finale was “Redbone,” topped off with fireworks to close the set. As he had with many songs throughout the night Childish Gambino finished with a simple “thank you” before exiting. Credits rolled to “Real Love” on the screens, acknowledging everyone who put the tour together in a sweet video. Post credits, Glover reemerged to perform “Lithonia.”
The night was filled with outstanding high notes, perfect flow, and animated dancing, making it a truly unforgettable show. From Troy Barnes to Childish Gambino to Rich Purnell to Lando, it will be exciting to see what Donald Glover does next. Who he will become?
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