April 23, 2011

Concert: Donald Glover + Childish Gambino x Commodore Ballroom

Donald Glover + Childish Gambino live in concert on the I Am Donald Tour at the Commodore Ballroom on April 22, 2011.

Donald Glover | Commodore Ballroom

 It's true. Yes, Donald Glover is, in fact, more talented than you. I loved how comedian/rapper Glover, so multi-talented, essentially was the opening act for himself, performing a brief 20-minute stand up comedy set before his musical performance.

Donald Glover | Commodore BallroomDonald Glover | Commodore Ballroom
"Are there Asian girls in here? Minority report."
Donald Glover | Commodore BallroomDonald Glover | Commodore BallroomDonald Glover | Commodore BallroomDonald Glover | Commodore Ballroom

Glover promised a no holds barred show with some hilarious and explicit one-liners. He delivered in spades.

Donald Glover | Commodore Ballroom

His act was sharp, hip, and hilarious.

Donald Glover | Commodore BallroomDonald Glover | Commodore Ballroom

Many complained it was too short, but Glover left the audience wanting more with a honed, refined set of jokes that kept the crowd in stitches.

Donald Glover | Commodore Ballroom

His transitional video was in fine Derrick Comedy fashion complete with his own minute long remake of The Hangover featuring his Community castmate Ken Jeong with Glover naked in the trunk of a car.

Donald Glover | Commodore Ballroom

I was remarking with Erin Loxam about the college aged crowd of hipsters and well, douche bags. There were a lot of muscle-bound white guys in baseball caps and hoodies who knew all of Glover's lyrics by heart. They were in various states in intoxication totally unaware of other people and their awful shouting towards the stage.

Donald Glover | Commodore Ballroom

Glover showed his skills of this generation with a simple yet effective use of new media.

Donald Glover | Commodore BallroomDonald Glover | Commodore Ballroom

Transitioning between his stand up comedy and rap set, he employed a funny YouTube style video involving "Future Donald" and a random video chat with James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem.

Donald Glover | Commodore Ballroom

As an emcee, Glover's Childish Gambino and his endless energy infused the crowd with his sick beats and wicked rhymes in a solid hour-long set.

Donald Glover | Commodore Ballroom

Glover rapping is an oddly serious, harsh animal in contrast to his boyish, likeable nature as a comedian.

Donald Glover | Commodore BallroomDonald Glover | Commodore Ballroom

His Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reference, calling it the craziest dream a hobo could ever have with their oddly specific yet random renaissance artist names, was very funny.

Donald Glover | Commodore Ballroom

His harsh and fiery lyrics about race, sex, violence are thoughtful and subversive as he dropped his trademark pop culture references and witty, ironic humour appealing to college youth.

Donald Glover | Commodore Ballroom

Glover is a showman and performed a tight act of music and comedy, lapping the audience up with every word. I loved the simple yet effective performances with effective transitions that made the night feel seamless.

Donald Glover | Commodore Ballroom

Coming out in his trademark red hoodie (sans shirt), Glover dialed the energy and beats up even higher for a 20-minute long encore that left everything on the stage, capping off a stellar evening of entertainment.

Donald Glover | Commodore Ballroom
"Only thing missing from the Donald Glover show: the Reading Rainbow theme." – @loxyisme
Donald Glover | Commodore Ballroom

Watch Glover perform my favourite track, the titular song referencing the brilliant but cancelled television show, Freaks and Geeks, live below.

2 reactions:

Rick Chung said...

Totally agree with you on the douche-y crowd, that was the only thing I didn't like :S

Oh and that he has a lot more comedy than he performed, but it really wasn't the right room/crowd for any more comedy than he did :(

Rick Chung said...

This guy is seriously amazing :)

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