On September fourth, Childish Gambino came to Tampa on his “New World” tour. “Community” actor Donald Glover has been rapping under stage name Childish Gambino for years, claiming this most recent tour as his last project under this persona, and I have been lucky enough to get to go. The experience overall was indescribable, with insanely high-tech graphics and song performance with beautiful vocals and crowd involvement. Even though I can’t do this concert enough justice in words, I can definitely say it was a “New World” for me.
Gambino came out on stage in an astronaut suit, on a little stage near the back of the Amalie Arena. He continued to go back and forth between the main stage and a smaller stage near the back, which was very considerate, as this way nobody had a bad seat, and everyone could feel close to him. But no matter where he was through the venue, everyone constantly had their eyes glued on him. Gambino had a great mix of classics that everybody could sing along with and recognize, and newer music. I will admit some of the songs I did not know word for word but there still wasn’t a single time throughout the concert I left my seat for a bathroom break or for a snack.
A personal favorite song of mine was “Do Ya Like” which is actually an unreleased song but got extremely popular on social media apps. Another favorite was “Me and Your Mama”. I was so blessed to hear it live as he put in extra emotion and vocals making the song even better than on Spotify. I went with my dad, and even though his music can be known as vulgar he was loving it the whole time and singing along, his music is really enjoyable for all ages. Along with his music, the stage presence and animation were absolutely incredible. Gambino had LED lights across the arena as well as around the stage, one piece even showed his face singing in real time made up by lights. These gave the concert a very futuristic vibe as well as his special effects that matched the mood of each song.
Overall, this was one of the best concerts I have ever been to and if you are somewhere he’s performing, I highly recommend you go check him out, whether you’re a diehard fan or a new listener.
