Inside Childish Gambino’s Deep Web Tour

After going to a really good show or concert, sometimes I go back and listen to the artist a few days later and realize I’m going through withdrawals. That’s what I’m experiencing right now. I went to Childish Gambino’s Deep Web Tour show at the Paramount Theater on May 10, and now I can’t listen to his music without having a deep yearning to go back to that night. To put something so great into one word: it was extraordinary.
I’ll admit that before “Because the Internet” came out, I wasn’t really a Gambino fan (mostly because I had no idea who he was). After listening to this most recent album, though, I was hooked. His old music isn’t as good as his new stuff, but overall, he’s an amazing artist. Not only that, but he definitely knows how to put on a show.
How many shows have an hour long trap dance party before the main act comes on? Probably not many. Unfortunately, Gambino wasn’t feeling the best the night of the show, so he came out a whole hour later than he was supposed to. In order to fill that hour, all the lights were shut ofsf, and the party started. His DJ came out and played all sorts of music – even some throwbacks from Backstreet Boys. I don’t know how many people celebrated weed being legal in Seattle that night, because it was everywhere. It still didn’t make it any less fun.
What made his show different from any other I’ve seen was the interactive concert app. Those with the app on their phones were able to tweet within the app as well as draw pictures and such. Both the tweets and drawings were displayed on a massive screen behind the DJ and the stage for everybody to see. During the actual show, there were polls in which the audience was able to vote on what was being asked. It was pretty cool.
When the show finally started, the crowd went wild. Everybody was so excited to finally see Childish Gambino. What’s kind of weird, though, is that he’s not really into the whole “Hey I’m famous, so I’m totally gonna act like it” demeanor. He really is the perfect example of a celebrity who realizes that he’s just another person and I really admire him for that.
Anyway, he came out and started the show super casually, but of course it was still crazy exciting. His stage presence was actually pretty impressive, and his dance moves are definitely… interesting. What I liked most, though, was that the first hour of his show completely followed the track list of “Because the Internet” and didn’t jump around from a song at the beginning of the album  to one from the end. It flowed perfectly and it was awesome to see that live.
After he was done performing songs from his new album, he moved on to his old stuff. For example, he performed “Heartbeat.”
Don’t pass up a chance to see the Deep Web Tour before it’s over; I definitely recommend it. If that’s not an option, then make sure to pick up a copy of “Because the Internet.”