Chance the Rapper’s Acid Rap Concert Review
In honor of the 10th anniversary of his breakout (second) mixtape, Acid Rap, Chance the Rapper performed in several major U.S. cities this summer. He made his way to Brooklyn this past weekend, and I had the pleasure of attending.
Quick Vent: I’ve been waiting for this concert for about six weeks, and I got my tickets off this resale website called Stubhub. When I arrived at the Barclays Arena, the tickets hadn’t been transferred over to me yet, and I was confused because, like, the buyer should have sent them over after I bought them. The attendant at the box office informed me that there wasn’t anything he could do for me because the tickets weren’t in my name and that I should contact Stubhub for a refund.
I was furious! But to my luck, the concert wasn’t sold out, and there were available tickets in the relative area where I bought the scam ticket for half the price. So, it all ended up working out.
Anywaysss, back to my concert review. The on-screen visuals for this concert were outstanding! It was just as trippy and chaotic as the album sounds and changed with the songs.
Chance started the concert with “No Problem” followed by “All Night,” which hyped everyone up immediately. “All Night” is one of my favorite songs from his third mixtape, Coloring Book, so it definitely put me in a better mood from the ticket situation.
Next, he played an arrangement of his songs “Blessings” which were beautifully accompanied by his long-time music producer, Peter CottonTale, his backup singers, and his trumpeter, Nico Segal.
After his intro songs, he finally got into Acid Rap songs, beginning with my favorite track, “Good Ass Intro.”
Next, he did “Pusha Man,” “Lost,” and “Juice.” Three great hits back-to-back, but let’s be honest, this album doesn’t have any skips, regardless.
I absolutely lost my shit when he brought a Joey Bada$$ and performed “The Highs and The Lows.” I love me some Joey Bada$$, and they played off each other’s vibes so well during the performance.
I searched why Joey Bada$$ was in Brooklyn that night. Apparently, he was a headliner for Afro Punk Music Festival the next day. I came close to spontaneously buying a one-day General Admission pass to the festival just to see him because I didn’t go to the 2000 tour last summer because I was out of the country when he came to my city. I decided against it because it would be fiscally irresponsible.
When an artist opens a concert or makes a surprise appearance, I add them to the list of people I’ve “Seen Live.” Even though he wasn’t the main performer, I will be saying I saw Joey Bada$$ in concert, no further questions.
Chance did two songs he’s featured on, “Ultralight Beam” and “I’m the One,” before returning to Acid Rap tracks.
“Favorite Song,” “Smoke Again,” and fan favorite “Cocoa Butter Kisses” were a part of the last stretch of the concert. Chance brought out Saba and performed half of “Angel,” which was cool because now I can add Saba to the “Seen Live” list as well.
Chance thanked the crowd for coming and introduced his backup dancers and singers before saying he will be dropping another album in 2024.
He sang a beautiful rendition of “Same Drug” and exited the stage. Nobody moved because, um, how are you going to have an Acid Rap concert and not do “Chain Smoker” or “Everything’s Good”?
After about 5 minutes, he came back out and said he wasn’t going to do us like that and performed both songs.
I give the concert an overall 9.1/10.
Chance was such a funny and interactive performer. He dances like a badass kid, and his vocals are strong for his lyrical tracks. He’s always been a strong performer which adheres to his playful and weird rap style.
This was my first-time seeing Chance the Rapper, and if I’m a fan of his next album, I would see him again. Chance hasn’t been in the limelight since The Big Day’s release, but I have faith this next project will be his comeback.
I’m rooting for you, Chance.