Childish Gambino @ Bridgestone Arena

With a final tour to end all final tours, Childish Gambino had Nashville in the palm of his hand at his stop at Bridgestone Arena. Alongside headlines circulating that artist Donald Glover will be moving away from music, releasing and starring in his new film Bando Stone and the New World with soundtrack album of the same name, and focusing more on television and acting, this highly anticipated apocalyptic tour did not disappoint as Gambino hit the stage. Following exceptional opener Willow Smith, fans were swarming with excitement to experience Gambino and his thirteen years of discography live.

Willow

Willow Smith brought ethereality and spunk, mystifying the crowd by her aura with her voice’s beauty and power. Performing older hits such as “t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l ” as well as songs from her newest album empathogen, Smith’s captivating presence drew the audience in and got them ready for the night. Seated at the foot of the piano, she performed a beautiful piano rendition of “Meet Me At Our Spot”, inviting the audience to hold their friends or lovers close as the arena sang out the lyrics. By the last chorus, the audience brought out their flashlights, bringing Smith to her feet getting a full view. Fittingly, she reached this point whilst singing the lyrics “Hypnotized by the lights/Man, this must be the life”.

The energy in the room was brought up to full speed with “Wait a Minute!” bringing everyone to their feet. This hit caused everyone to sing so loud that Smith removed her earpiece to hear the sheer volume created. Smith really showcased her crystal clear voice and hip-hop and funk influence with her closing song “b i g f e e l i n g s”, which completely brought the house down and left people exhilarated for this 23-year-old icon.

Childish Gambino

Starting Line

Building anticipation with apocalyptic ambiance, Gambino made his entrance onto the B Stage, causing waves of exhilaration throughout the arena. He then made his way through the crowd for songs from his new album including “Survive” and “Talk My Shit” as his magnificent rod lighting descended and full laser system was put on display. Flanked by three incredible backup dancers, Gambino had the whole stadium jumping and moshing by “A Place Where Love Goes”, ending his first set and taking him backstage to sing “No Excuses” with footage projected to the crowd for a little intermission, telling them that this was the perfect time to pop their edibles and smoke their blunts.

High Gear

After an incredible interlude from his band, the audience watched footage of Gambino suiting up with his motorcycle helmet again to return to the main stage for the beginning of “Me and Your Mama”. However, when the beat drop hit, Gambino entered onto the B Stage, causing a ripple effect across the crowd. Realizing what had happened, the audience went wild for this fakeout, really kicking the concert into high gear. From then on, Gambino performed some of his big hits, including “IV. Sweatpants” and “This Is America”, making the audience go absolutely nuts and shout out the chorus as loudly as possible.

The Close

Fans danced throughout the pit freestyling, some even looking so good that they could be on stage next to Gambino. Gambino really connected with his audience during “Sober”, jumping around with his arms outstretched to the incredible lighting above while everyone around him sang every word. Closing with “Redbone”, “V. 3005” and encoring with “Lithonia”, the audience really proved that they were real fans by shouting out every word. Fans waved goodbye by raising their middle fingers with Gambino as he concluded his last musical stop in Nashville, Tennessee.