Chris Brown Continues To Up The Entertainment Ante With The INDIGOAT Tour In Baltimore
The acronym G.O.A.T. is usually reserved for those who are at the upper echelon of their industry, and it’s typically only given to those who have been in the game for a while. After Chris Brown‘s show at the Royal Farms Arena on Sunday, September 15th, we could certainly see how people refer to him as the G.O.A.T. of his generation of entertainers with the delivery of his aptly titled INDIGOAT Tour.
#TeamBreezy have been on high alert since the surprise announcement of this tour over on Chris’ IG page, so to see the local fanfare and overwhelming support was no surprise. It appeared as if every female between the ages of 15 and 40 years old had packed the downtown concert venue in order to get their whole entire lives.
With every single tour that he’s mounted, Breezy has always maintained a party atmosphere, in that he would rather bring some friends along for the ride versus vibing out on the solo tip, and this show was no different. This concert was co-anchored by Yella Beezy, Joyner Lucas, Ty Dollar $ign, and Tory Lanez. Of the special guests, Yella Beezy was the first to take the stage. While I can admit that I was unfamiliar with some of Yella’s music, the same cannot be said for the rest of Baltimore City. During his set, the young females who were making their way into the bowl of the venue started swarming to their seat to grab some content for their “snap” and Insta stories.
After his YBeezy left the stage, it was time for lyricist Joyner Lucas to show and prove why he deserved a spot on this tour. This talented young rapper appears to be what the hip-hop game needs, someone who is actually well versed at lyrical word play and creating content that contains actual substance, instead of the mumble rap that’s become the norm. During his brief set, he went through about five songs and even jumped down off the stage to get the audience even more hyped. We were very impressed with what he had to offer and expect to see more from him in the future.
Ty Dollar $ign caused a major disruption in the audience, in the terms of cheers and reaction when he began his performance with his hit “Or Nah“. For 30 minutes straight, he worked every angle of the stage, switching lanes between singing AND rapping. Not many artists can usually do both, but Ty exhibited that he’s made to be a double threat as his vocals were ever so crisp during songs such as “Pineapple“, “Paranoid“, and “Saved“. What I found most impressive was that he’s actually an instrumentalist as well, hopping on the electric guitar a few times. Have you ever seen a rock rendition of a trap song before? Neither had we, until he closed out his show with “Blasé“, which featured a guitar solo. It’s crazy to think that the rock element would be the key to take everyone’s excitement through the rough, but surprisingly it was, as now we were on a level 10.
The heightened sense was well needed as the next performer who made his way to the stage, exudes energy levels that tip the scale. Tory Lanez literally ran out on the stage to dig into his hit “KIKA“. This set the tone for how the rest of his show would be. I’ve had the opportunity to see Lanez a few times throughout his career, stemming back from the beginning, and he’s gone just as hard each time. We were treated to radio hits “Luv“, “Forever“, and “Say It“. He even opted to show some love to the homie Saweetie, allowing the ladies to get turned up to “My Type“. By the time that he was done, the arena was packed out, and we were ready for headliner.
As the lights went down, a blue pair of eyes accompanied by a wicked smile appeared on a video curtain that covered the stage, welcoming us to the indigoat tour! The music to the title track of his latest album “Indigo” kicked in, and there he was…standing as still as ever on a raised platform in a white military jacket and jeans. Without hesitation, Chris Brown began to rip into his smooth, hard-hitting choreography along with his dancers who entered the stage. Being that this was the INDIGOAT tour, he made a bold move by helming the beginning set around brand new material.
It has been a few years since I last saw C Breezy on tour, but there is one thing that hasn’t changed, his showmanship. This young man was born to do what he’s doing, and everyone in attendance would 1000% agree with me. Every aspects of this show was meticulously put together, from the staging, which transformed from a fairytale theme to a more futuristic display, to the lighting and visual package, to his vocals and down to the dancing. There are some artist in the same caliber, who came out at the same time as Chris, who used to dance but have now slowed down. I don’t think I saw Breezy slowdown in his movements, except for when it was time to transition to his slower cuts.
After a brief intermission in the show, we took a trip down memory lane, where short snippets of some of his past hits including “With You“, “Run It!“, “Poppin“, “Take You Down” and more made an appearance. I honestly wished he would have expounded on this section more, because truth be told, he has throwback hits for days! With the show nearing its’ end, of course we had to experience the more current singles “Wobble Up“, his duet with Nicki Minaj, that featured his female dancers twerking on stage, “Undecided“, and “Loyal“, which included a Baltimore Club style mashup and a little bit of footwork…we see you Chris!
For the finale, the loudest screams of the night were heard when Drakes verse came in on “No Guidance“, an extremely chilled cut that was a perfect ending for this show that had transported us through many emotions. The final bow took place as Chris gave a heartfelt thank you as he danced his way off into the dark. It has been almost 15 years since his introduction to the industry, and he never fails to entertain. If you STILL have not seen one of his live shows, please do yourself the honest favor and buy a ticket. It will be a moment you’ll never forget.
