Childish Gambino
March 28, 2014
The Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA
On February 27, 2014, Childish Gambino began the U.S. portion of his tour, Deep Web 1.1.0. On March 28, 2014, he made his way to the infamous Electric Factory of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Arriving to the venue, you see the crowds of people on the streets eagerly holding their tickets, wrapped all the way around the block, to see Childish Gambino perform that night.
As the doors open up and the guests start filling in, all you hear are people talking amongst themselves about which songs they want to hear, and how thrilled they are for this show. A DJ comes out on stage to speak to the horde of fans and to play some popular hip-hop music to hype everyone up and get them ready for the main act. After the DJ departs, the sound of a phone’s dial-tone plays through the speakers for a few moments, stirring up the show goers and making them even more eager for Childish Gambino to finally come out on stage to perform.
Playing on the name of his tour (Deep Web) and the name of his newest album (Because The Internet), a digital visualization plays on the screen as the intro, leading into the start of the show. Everyone in the crowd yells in excitement as Gambino starts the show with one of his most popular songs off of his latest album. The energy throughout the venue is really casual as you see Gambino interacting with the rest of his band on stage and making eye contact with the fans up front. The lights are in a constant state of flux to cater to the sense of liveliness. As the night goes on, the audience is constantly bouncing and moving around as they sing along and throw up their arms. Part way through the show, a sheer screen comes down at the front of the stage, and colorful, intricate visualizations are displayed on the screen as Gambino performs behind it to provide a truly intimate experience. After he finishes a good majority of his songs from Because The Internet, the backdrop is changed to a forest scene, and thus begins the start of songs from the album Camp. Towards the end of the show, Gambino states that he loves his fans and how they’re not just one demographic. Anyone and everyone can enjoy his music and his shows, and there’s no discrimination. That alone provides for an outstanding spectacle.
Review by: Taylor Ari Zartman
