Hey UHSP! Right now, you are now tuned in to one of the highlights of my Fall Break. It was the weekend when people went home or got away to have some fun. Unfortunately, I wasn’t one of the lucky ducks who got to go home, but I did have a last-minute turn of events.
It all started on a late-August afternoon, doomscrolling on Instagram when an ad popped up advertising tickets for Bryson Tiller’s upcoming Neo Trapsoul Tour. And it just so happened that he was coming to the Lou. As excited as I was in that moment, reality set in: I didn’t have a car. Devastated by the thought that I wouldn’t be able to go and what could have been. Fast forward a day before the concert, I had experienced all 5 stages of grief and was reeling from the fact that I would not be able to attend. That was until I found out that, after running hills with my team, one of my teammates (shout out to Rylee) had mentioned she was going with a couple of friends to see none other than Bryson Tiller. Absolutely thrilled, I asked if she could drive me that night and wait… damn. Those ticket prices are gonna be inflated, huh. Nope, floor tickets for only $122!?!? These cheap tickets definitely caught my attention.
It’s now the next day, Saturday, October 3rd; it’s 3:05, and it is SeaWorld up in my restroom. I was out of the shower and getting ready for the special occasion. The dress code was red and black, of course, reflecting the colors of the massive cultural success of his debut album, T R A P S O U L. So, I put on my dress, slipped on my gold platforms (because I did not come here to play), put on my Versace lipstick, and the curly hair was OUT! I was excited to see what the night had in store, because it was me and my black clutch against the world. The girls decided to leave around 5:30; once it was time and my Chick-fil-A settled, we were ready to go!
Upon arriving safely at the venue, after almost playing bumper cars with some drivers, we got inside, and it really was a decked-out venue. They had it all: snacks, restrooms, alcoholic refreshments, and of course the merchandise section. Unfortunately for me, I’ll wait till the online merch store drops because my wallet was going to drown in its sorrows if I decided to spend $81 on a jersey. After browsing through the venue and taking a trip to the restroom, we all made our way to our seats and waited for the first act. The show didn’t start until seven thirty, but hey, it’s only 7:00. Giving people plenty of time to take some amazing photos with the gorgeous sunset in the background. *Heads up, this is NOT a spoiler-free zone. If you want to dig a little deeper into how the night went down, social media is definitely the way to go.
The show began with DJ Austin Christopher Miller, who goes by the stage name Austin Millz, setting the vibe with a few nostalgic sets of rap, pop, and, of course, R&B tracks. The smoke machine was on full blast, drinks up in the air, and well, let’s just say there were a variety of “aroma-inspired” smoke machines going off that night. Overall, it was great to see the crowd excited to enjoy the atmosphere and look forward to what was to come. After a brief intermission to let the backstage crew set up, Ty Dolla $ign opened with a wave of timeless anthems. He got the crowd hyped with tracks he collaborated on with other artists, such as Psycho with Post Malone, Nights Like This with Kehlani, and the song of the night, Cinderella, with Mac Miller. Celebrating the song’s 10-year anniversary, he paid tribute to the late Mac Miller by asking the audience to hold up their flashlights. The audience sang the lyrics at the top of their lungs, with Ty’s fantastic guitar solo being the cherry on top. A divine way to honor the rapper and keep the night young. Then came his last song of the set: CARNIVAL, and oh boy, did the pit and front row have a time. He decided to merge with the roaring crowd, and people got way too close, taking photos with the artist; one guy was screaming bloody murder in my ear, and others were losing their minds. One group of girls were literally jumping over the bar rails to get into the pit and almost eating it. Older audience members were in complete shock at the youth’s rambunctious reactions, and let me tell you, there’s a time and a place for all this… this was not the place for all this!! We’re at an R&B concert, or so I thought. But hey, I made it out in one piece.
Now, the third act of the night was the famous R&B duo Majid Jordan. Coming all the way from Ontario, they shifted the show’s vibe from hyper to a mix of synth-pop and electronic music. Signed to Drake’s music brand, they delivered an incredible, audience-engaging setlist with hits like H.E.R., Waves of Blue, and Gave Your Love Away. They even played their iconic breakout debut, Hold On, We’re Going Home. I’ll admit I had to sit down a bit because of my heels, but the crowd was a mix of enjoying the vibe and angsty to see the main artist.
Then the lights go dark, the pyrotechnics and special effects team putting in overtime with the high-end graphic designs. The crowd jumping to their feet, going ballistic to see who they paid money for. Finally!!!! I’ve been waiting all night for this moment, the moment to actually see Bryson Tiller. The opening was unexpected but anticipated. We were taken to another world and placed in the artist’s perspective, exploring his purpose and the “why” behind his music. It was a unique approach, but it built up the hype for his performance. The smoke machines were set to max volume, and then BAM! He spawned in, ready to put on a great show. The set list was absolutely stacked, with songs like Don’t, Been that Way, Exchange, and Right My Wrongs. The crowd was electric, practically singing his lyrics back to him, the people next to me and in front of me making the night even more memorable by just having a great time. Then there was fire, fire everywhere, with the incorporation of some dancers here and there, but what I really think stole the show was the crowd. I have to give it to St. Louis; they showed up and delivered, hyping up this man and producing a very successful show with immaculate vibes, and everyone was just in their feels. What I did appreciate about the performance was his addition of other songs from his discography like Last Call, Attention, Drop the Lo, Whatever She Wants, and my personal favorite, Sorrow. When this song came out, I know people looked at me weird because that was practically the only song from his A N N I V E R S A R Y album that was famous (which I think is severely underrated, but I digress), and it has some interesting context behind it, but I will refrain from jumping into that rabbit hole.
As he moved into his last song of the night, he began his thank-yous, and that’s when I knew I had to start making my way to the back of the arena because this Cinderella had to go home! Luckily, I beat the rush, found my group, and we all bolted to the parking lot, locking arms and bracing for a sea of people rushing in on all sides. After an insanely long walk to the car, my phone was on the brink of death, my feet were demolished, but either way, I still looked good. The line was insanely long and took forever to get through, but we eventually got back on campus and had a great time overall.
Remember to mention the no-spoiler free zone I mentioned? Even with that disclaimer, it doesn’t mean I won’t hold back on my honest opinions about the show’s structure. Let me break it down.
To begin with, the venue’s security and staff were not messing around; they made sure you found your seat, and when you left to do anything, you still needed to show your section to get through. Since the venue was outdoors, I was a bit concerned the temperature drop would make me shiver and feel uncomfortable, but luckily I was close enough to the pyrotechnics to get the best of both worlds. The concert started at 7:30, and he didn’t come out until 9:30. The lineup was great, and I really think the crowd enjoyed the performance they were receiving, but I felt really bad for Majid Jordan’s set. They came out to perform like it was opening night, and at times people sat down either because it wasn’t Bryson or they weren’t familiar with their songs. Either way, I think once Hold On We’re Going Home started playing, they were able to reel the crowd back in. Either way, each opening act did a great set and brought the energy. Especially Austin Millz and Ty Dolla $ign, who came in to save it. They brought Austin out for a quick set during the final intermission leading up to Bryson because they were having technical difficulties, and unfortunately, I don’t think those issues were resolved until halfway through the show. Regardless, Millz was playing, bringing back the R&B nostalgia once more with Keyshia Cole’s fan favorite, Love. Everyone was belting that song; some were being a little too extra with the vocals, but it was a great core memory nonetheless. When Bryson was out on stage, I had no idea if he was going for a mysterious, nonchalant act, but there were parts where I couldn’t hear him. I think this is when Dolla $ign had to jump in and cover for a bit while they took Bryson backstage to fix his mic issues, and luckily, they did.
Another factor was the performance itself; as much as I had a great time, I don’t think he finished singing one song all the way through. I get it, you have a whole lineup of songs to get through, but that’s the whole point of a concert, and that is where I think time management-wise the team messed up and decided to give the opening acts more time to do their songs than the headliner. Plus, what makes this review even crazier is that my section about Bryson Tiller is so short that that’s how short his set was! Only performing for 50 minutes when we have been here since 6 pm is baffling. I will give the man this: on average, his songs range from 1:41 (if we are talking about interludes and intros) to 4:13, with him feeling the music on the track and just performing. I think that is what was missing that night: the creativity that we know he has as an artist and producer. However, I think he spent a little too much time on the show’s storyline, which kinda confused me, and I don’t think I was the only one; everyone was just too excited to hear their favorite songs being played. Personally, I think another route he could have taken with the short set was to invite more of the artists he collaborated with, instead of dragging it out with the openers. Because here’s the thing: depending on which show you went to, you got a different performance, and from what I could find, I think New York got the better experience. They had special artists like A Boogie wit da Hoodie and Fat Joe come out. That made the night even more memorable, on top of the three openers already incorporated into the show.
Moreover, I think what left St. Louis fans a little more disappointed was that we didn’t get a special artist at all; if we had, many would have hoped to see Sexyy Red on stage. Born and raised in St. Louis, I think she would have added a greater amount of hype to his set list, maybe a few more moshes here and there, but it would have been amazing. Not just her, but even H.E.R. would have been a phenomenal choice when he played Could Have Been, maybe even bringing out Summer Walker to sing Playing Games, and Jordan Adetunji to sing 305. Personally, I think Drake could have come out maybe not for this show, but for some others. I am only suggesting this option because Majid Jordan were already scheduled to sing; I think it would have been amazing if they could have sung with their boss (technically) and at the same time, we could have heard another banger from his A N N I V E R S A R Y album, Outta Time. Not only him, but he could have brought out Big Sean to sing Still Yours from his deluxe version of the album, and God forbid Kehlani showed up. I think we would have destroyed the venue because the history between the two artists runs deep.
Moving back to the special effects team, where do I even begin! They absolutely carried the entire operation; the designs were so mesmerizing to look at, clean, and not even the images I captured that night do them justice. All through the night, the effects were insanely good, without fail. Helping bring whatever concept Tiller was going for to life. The lasers were intense, the pyro machines were on time, and the smoke machines were paid actors that helped set the mood and immerse the crowd in the environment.
I think the sad reality is that Bryson Tiller is an introvert; he’s never really been a fan of the spotlight and is simply all in for the love of the game. There have been some talks around him possibly stepping back from his solo career and becoming a songwriter for Drake and a few other artists, but regardless of what he decides, he still has made a name for himself, and I think he has left his mark on the music industry and R&B as a whole.
To summarize the short show: I wish the layout had been different for each act; most of the budget went to special effects, and some people online wished there was a return policy because they felt underwhelmed by the whole show. Sorry, not sorry; those are just my thoughts, and I think I’ll stick with them. However, I’ll tell you what: it was a night to remember. Through the awes and flaws, I soaked up every moment, and I can vouch for it when I say I’m coming back for good. Ciao!