Childish Gambino Blows Away Fans in Florida During “The New World Tour”
Multi-hyphenated performer Donald Glover-known professionally as Childish Gambino-pitched his electric “The New World Tour” into the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, in a triumphant return to the live stage since 2019. This Grammy-winning artist was just as eclectic as dynamic to career-spanning music, comedy, and acting.
Such a transformation musically has it in no small way placed Glover, as Childish Gambino, head and shoulders above his contemporaries, amassing a discography of four studio albums and a total of five Grammy Awards to his name. This musical evolution was on full display throughout the night’s extensive 32-song setlist.
It opened with the more enigmatically titled “H3@RT$ W3RE M3@NT T0 F7¥” from his reimagined 2020 album ‘3.15.20,’ now christened ‘Atavista.’ That set a tone for an evening that would smoothly integrate old favourites and new material. Gambino’s performance touched several points in his discography, showing him grown and able to experiment with a wide range of sounds and styles.
Early on, concertgoers were treated to “Survive” and “I. The Worst Guys” from his sophomore album “Because the Internet” in 2013, an eclectic work that helped establish Gambino as a serious musical force. This inclusion of this track showed the artist’s flair for introspective lyrical words and genre-bending production.
Later in the night, Gambino dove back into his breakout mixtape “Culdesac” with “Do Ya Like,” but in its remixed form featuring Home’s “Resonance.” It was a throwback moment that reached all the way into Gambino’s humble beginnings as an underground rapper and catapulted him into a mainstream superstar.
The middle of the concert included a run of his hits from his critically acclaimed third studio album “Awaken, My Love!” in 2016. Songs featured from the album were “Me and Your Mama,” “Redbone,” and “The Night Me and Your Mama Met,” highlighted Gambino’s venture into funk and soul-inspired sounds, music a far cry from his earlier, more hip-hop-heavy work. “Redbone” got the crowd swaying to the infectious groove as Gambino crooned his vocals with a falsetto.
No Childish Gambino concert would be complete without “This Is America,” his politically charged 2018 single that became a full-on cultural phenomenon. That was one of the absolute highlights of the night, as the always-energetic dance moves he injected into this track combined with the powerful message sent waves across the arena.
He also performed a few tracks from his studio album “Camp” such as “Bonfire,” “Heartbeat,” and “Fire Fly.” This soundscape, with raw energy and brilliant wordplay, was testimony to the fact that Gambino was indeed an early promise as a hip-hop artist.
Meanwhile, Gambino continued to flash his showmanship via a score of theatric elements throughout the night that went well beyond the music. Perhaps one of the more memorable moments of the night came during “Me and Your Mama,” when he appeared to “teleport” from the main stage to the B-stage, leaving the audience in awe of his stagecraft.
The concert also contained some moments of audience interaction, including the ability for fans to choose between “Telegraph Ave.” and “Saturday” late in the show. This level of engagement added a personal touch to the big-sounding production.
By the time “Lithonia,” his latest, closed out the show, it was fair to say Childish Gambino had taken the audience through his musical history. From witty rapper to whatever one would call him these days, the concert had been a celebration of Glover’s artistic growth and versatility.
Opening acts Amaarae and Willow round out the bill for Gambino’s tour de force, bringing their peculiar flavours to an already diverse musical palette.
All in all, Childish Gambino’s “The New World Tour” stop in Florida was more than just a concert-a testament to Donald Glover’s status as one of the most versatile and compelling entertainers of his generation. Continuing to push boundaries in music, acting-with the recent “Mufasa: The Lion King”-and beyond, Gambino is nowhere near the end of his artistic journey, and neither are his fans.
Photos (c) Ryan McCormick
