“Where were you when I rhymed Mansion with Wiscansin?” T-Pain (real name Faheem Rashad Najm) tweeted shortly before embarking on his current tour.
While most of us may not remember exactly where we were when the aforementioned song dropped in 2008, Saturday night’s performance to a sold-out Mission Ballroom will stick with us for a long time. With support from Young Cash, NandoSTL, and tobi lou, T-Pain put on a vibrant show full of throwbacks, covers, and so much more.
The Openers
The show began with Florida rapper Young Cash. The frequent T-Pain collaborator gave an energetic performance that set the party mood for the rest of the night. Shortly after, the newest signee to T-Pain’s Nappy Boy Entertainment record label, NandoSTL, took the stage. The singer captivated the audience with songs from his new album, Year of the Ape. The final opener and direct support, tobi lou, performed next. Engaging the crowd with the chant “tobi lou! F*** you!”, the artist put on a fresh, eclectic set that showed off his dynamic blend of rap and R&B.
The Legacy of T-Pain
T-Pain is an artist who barely needs an introduction. The singer changed the landscape of music by introducing the world to Auto-Tune and nothing has been the same since. If you were around between the mid-2000s to mid-2010s, you could not escape a hit song with T-Pain on it. With a legendary run of features, solo songs, and performances, he has cemented his place in music history. Even though he is mostly associated with his masterful use of Auto-Tune, the singer has showed off his natural skills with his Tiny Desk and Masked Singer performances. T-Pain has proven his range over and over through his singing, rapping, songwriting, and producing. His Denver performance was no exception.
The Invasion
To set the tone for the headlining act, a cinematic introduction began to play. Showing a space-themed aesthetic, the screen flashed “DESTINATON: WISCONSIN” and “MISSION: INVASION” before T-Pain appeared on the stage.
The tour’s theme is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the song “Can’t Believe It,” where the singer famously rhymed the words ‘mansion’ and ‘Wisconsin’. After a dramatic entrance, T-Pain immediately reminded us of all the iconic features in his catalog including “Good Life,” “Cyclone,” “Low,” and many more.
The singer also performed some of his biggest hits such as “I’m Sprung” and “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’).” Between all of his own songs, T-Pain did a medley of covers that are all featured on his recent album, On Top of the Covers. The whole performance was a trip down memory lane, where the audience had a chance to dance and sing along.
One of the most memorable parts of the night was when a slideshow displayed many of T-Pain’s awards and accolades during “All I Do Is Win.” As the audience threw their hands up and screamed along, the moment put T-Pain’s impact into perspective and truly felt like a victory lap for his whole career. Afterwards, the singer invited the crowd to sing along as he closed the night with a theatric rendition of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.”
T-Pain’s Escape From Wiscansin concert was a lively party that took us back to the last decade or two of music. The night was a massive celebration and not a single body was still throughout the whole night. Although T-Pain has already cemented his status as a legend, we can’t wait to see what he accomplishes next.
Photos by Jake Duesterhoft
