Walking by the Bud Light stage at 4:30 p.m., one might have thought Chicago was experiencing an earthquake — but instead it was T-Pain delivering a heart-thumping performance.
He opened his set with “Think It’s A Game,” establishing his performance’s theme of video games. He carried out this motif with video games on the screens, an elaborate set design and even more intricate neon outfits.
“I obviously dressed f— raw,” T-Pain said, demonstrating his effortless confidence and building rapport with the audience.
Through his dance moves and comedic interludes, it was evident that he was having a good time on stage, which created a fun, light atmosphere within the crowd.
T-Pain’s music speaks for itself, and when hits like “Up Down,” “Cyclone” and “2 Step” played, the crowd sang and danced along.
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In addition to relying on his solid discography, T-Pain deployed the use of covers and mashups to further engage the audience.
One mashup in particular of “Booty Wurk” and “Get It Sexy” by Sexyy Red elicited loud cheers of approval from festivalgoers.
Towards the end of the set, T-Pain moved into a cover section of the performance, playing hits with the hopes of getting the crowd to sing along.
“Make them do some f— work,” T-Pain said, requesting his DJ to play something everyone knew.
As “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey blasted out of the speakers, the crowd sang-screamed every single lyric. Continuing on his cover portion of the set, T-Pain performed both “Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton and “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith. Both tunes highlighted T-Pain’s vocal ability — one that isn’t always obvious with his typical rapping style.
After these two songs lulled the crowd, T-Pain brought back his iconic hype with a mashup of “Shots” by LMFAO and “Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor)” by Pitbull.
Finishing out his set on a high note with the performance “Low” and “All I Do Is Win,” T-Pain ensured that festivalgoers heard all of his greatest hits.
While the music and the performance elements alone gave a great set, T-Pain’s humor and connection with the audience added a whole new dimension to the experience.
“God d— y’all wanna keep going?” T-Pain asked. “Shut the hell up, Jesus. It’s because you ain’t up here motherf— and you ain’t 40 years old, this s— sucks.”
T-Pain’s candid humor elicited many laughs from the audience and made the entire performance feel like a conversation between an artist and his listeners. The most unique part of T-Pain’s performance was that it was evident he was having fun himself, something artists don’t usually show. His confidence and lighthearted spirit made the performance one to remember.
