By: Paris Lewis
T-Pain just embarked on his 21-city Mansion in Wiscansin Tour, with his first stop being a sold-out show in Houston, TX. 713 Music Hall was packed from the floor to the balcony with fans who were excited for a night of nostalgia.
As the crowd walked into the main room of the venue, DJ Slick 305 welcomed us with the sounds of many hip-hop tracks to hype up the crowd. He first introduced Young Ca$h, who was a great opener. He was full of energy and made sure to get the crowd involved with his performance. Using the call and response technique, Ca$h got the house rockin’ and set the tone for what was already shaping up to be a great night.
The next artist to greet the crowd was Nando STL. As a nod to his city, he came out to the sounds of Nelly. Nando had a fun presence about him as he performed. He even got the crowd up to a rock version of Roscoe Dash’s popular track All The Way Turnt Up. Nando was accompanied by a background vocalist, who beautifully blended her voice with his when performing some of his ballads.
Last but not least, LaRussell came out to the recognizable beat of the Bay Area. Throughout his 30-minute set, he proved to be an interactive and passionate artist. Aside from his own performance, LaRussell also brought out a violinist, fans to rap with him onstage, and even Houston native Paul Wall. This set was very entertaining and left the crowd in a state of excitement.
About 20 minutes later, the moment finally came that everyone in the building was anticipating. The simultaneous drop of the overhead music and lights signaled T-Pain’s entrance. The intro beats of Up Down filled the venue as he appeared in the craziest, most colorfully patterned outfit, complemented with a matching top hat. Just the sight of it all set off the loudest screams of the night as he made his way across the stage. He quickly moved into his track Cyclone, followed by the popular dance bop, 2 Step. It was clear from the start that the night was going to be nostalgic.
T-Pain continued through his set with his popular early 2000s throwbacks, Bartender, I’m Sprung, and a stripped-down version of I’m N Luv (Wit a Stripper), making the crowd go wild. The setlist was a carefully curated combination of old and new hits, including over 20 of our favorite chart-topping singles, covers, and mashups. Some of the tracks were even mixed with the beats of other popular songs, such as Lil Jon’s Get Low and Tevin Cambell’s Can We Talk. And of course, the DJ had to include the occasional popular track of today (Drake’s Rich Baby Daddy, Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us) to continue blowing up the set.
The stage design consisted of colorful light projections showing backgrounds that fit each track, along with flashing party lights. The creativity was on point as the visuals started with a mansion, then morphed into the inside of a strip club and 24-hour bar. This was a welcome change from the typical physical sets for which many artists opt. This unique decision provided plenty of space for T-Pain to dance and engage with his crowd.
The latter half of T-Pain’s set included performing some tracks with Young Ca$h and a mashup of Pitbull’s Hey Baby, LMFAO’s Shots, and Flo Rida's Low. He ended with All I Do Is Win, with his team joining onstage. This was such a fun and fitting way to seemingly end the show; however, T-Pain unexpectedly returned to the stage after ending the show on a high note to perform his latest ballad, On This Hill. It was a treat to see yet another side of T-Pain with his soulful vocals filling the venue, stopping fans in their tracks as they prepared to leave.
T-Pain was the ultimate performer. From the craziest patterned outfit to the freshest dance moves to the clearest vocals, he didn’t put on just another concert but provided an experience for all of the fans in the venue. We were brought together for one night, under one roof, singing every lyric at the top of our lungs, creating dance circles, and making memories like long-lost best friends. The air truly was filled with good, positive energy, and the joy on each face as a different song of nostalgia played was truly a sight to see.
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