This past Thursday, Childish Gambino stopped at the Amerant Bank Arena in Florida during the New World Tour—his last one before retiring. Since the release of his latest album Bando Stone & the New World, fans have been itching to snag a ticket to witness the musical phenomenon perform live.
Before Gambino got on stage, I knew my priorities the second I entered the stadium—I had to get my hands on merch before everything sold out. I ended up purchasing the Bando Stone album cover t-shirt. I felt immense joy, as I wore it as a cape throughout the entirety of the concert.
Stepping first into the arena was Willow Smith, Glover’s opener. Smith excitedly ignited the arena, preparing the crowd for Gambino’s performance. After waiting a few minutes, Gambino entered the stage in what is theorized to be a ‘time traveling suit,’ while the song “H3@RT$ W3RE M3@NT TO F7Y” started. The stage was illuminated by strobe effects and laser beam visuals—a major highlight of the show.
I had eagerly spoiled the setlist for myself prior to attending the show, yet nothing compared to hearing him perform live. Gambino was quick to introduce himself after his opener. He first warned the audience of the strobe light effects, before continuing to deliver one of the greatest performances ever seen before.
He started off the show with his latest songs such as: “Survive,” “To Be Hunted,” “Yoshinoya,” and more. Not everyone in the audience knew his new album by heart, however, after studying Bando Stone & the New World weeks before the concert, I screamed the lyrics at the top of my lungs. A personal favorite was “A Place Where Love Goes,” a song where Gambino had everyone on their feet.
After ending the first half of his concert, Gambino took a five-minute intermission before coming back on stage to sing one of his most-known songs worldwide—“Me and Your Mama.” With Gambino playing this song, he started to test if Sunrise, Florida were “real fans.” At first, Gambino wasn’t sure of the crowd’s authenticity, but as he performed his most iconic songs, “Bonfire,” “Heartbeat,” “3005,” “This is America,” and “Freaks and Geeks, Sunrise was given validation by Donald Glover (Childish Gambino’s legal name) himself.
In reward for our authenticity, Gambino allowed the crowd to pick between “Telegraph Ave.” and “Summer,” an unreleased single. I cannot express the excitement I felt when I heard the unfamiliar tune begin. This led Gambino to the end of his show, performing an enhanced version of “Redbone,” filling the atmosphere with nostalgia.
As he walked off stage, and the end credits began to roll, I turned to my friend on the left of me and said, “He didn’t play “Lithonia!” However, I had such an amazing time listening to Gambino’s ethereal voice and watching the stunning light visuals; it didn’t bother me the slightest. That’s when I heard it coming from inside the arena. I sprinted back inside to see “Lithonia?” on the jumbotron. My friend managed to find me in the crowd screaming along with Gambino to the lyrics.
It’s safe to say that I, along with the rest of the audience, left the stadium filled with astonishment and joy. Childish Gambino’s first and last concert after five years is undoubtedly one of the best in my history books.
