This Is America Tour

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This Is America Tour
Tour by Childish Gambino
This Is America Tour.png
Promotional poster for the tour
Start dateSeptember 6, 2018 (2018-09-06)
Legs3
No. of shows35
Childish Gambino concert chronology
  • Deep Web Tour
    (2014)
  • This Is America Tour
    (2018-19)

The This Is America Tour was the fifth concert tour by American recording artist Childish Gambino. The tour began in the summer of 2018, playing over 20 shows in North America and Europe.

Background[]

Glover announced his intention to retire the Childish Gambino pseudonym in June 2017, telling the audience "I'll see you for the last Gambino album" before walking off stage at the Governors Ball Music Festival.[1] He further explained his decision in an interview, feeling his musical career was no longer "necessary" and added "There's nothing worse than like a third sequel" and "I like it when something's good and when it comes back there's a reason to come back, there's a reason to do that."[2] Glover signed with RCA Records in January 2018, which Glover called "a necessary change of pace".[3][4]

In May 2018, he released a single titled "This Is America" while performing dual hosting and musical duty on Saturday Night Live.[4] The song debuted at number one, becoming both Glover's first number one and top ten single in the United States.[5] It features him both singing and rapping, drawing influence from trap music.[6] Its lyrics addressed a variety of topics including gun violence in the United States and being black in the United States,[7] while its provocative video, directed by Japanese-American filmmaker and frequent collaborator Hiro Murai, featured Glover performing a series of shootings before breaking into dance.[8]

On July 11, 2018, Glover released the EP Summer Pack which contained the songs "Summertime Magic" and "Feels Like Summer", the former of which is the lead single from Glover's forthcoming fourth studio album.[9][10] The music video for "Feels Like Summer" was released on September 1, 2018, and features animated cameos from numerous prominent rappers and R&B vocalists. The video is meant to symbolize Glover's departure from the rap community[11] and depicts his animated rendition as he walks down a neighborhood street, passing by several big names like Will Smith, Nicki Minaj, Travis Scott, Kanye West, Beyoncé, Lil Wayne, and Michael Jackson.[12]

In September 2018, Glover made two previously unreleased songs, "Algorhythm" and "All Night", exclusively available to fans who bought tickets to his upcoming This Is America Tour.[13] "Algorhythm" was performed at every show on the tour, and was eventually released on his next studio album, 3.15.20. "All Night" was exclusively performed at the debut show in Atlanta, and only subsequently performed at Gambino's next PHAROS events.

During the first show of the tour in Atlanta, Glover confirmed that this is the last Gambino tour ever, telling the audience: "I love you forever for supporting me and coming out for this shit. Second, if you're in here, that means you bought a ticket, so you don't need to film this shit. Experience this shit. This is not a concert. This is fucking church. If you're not here to celebrate life, if you're not here to enjoy your time here, if you're just here to hear your favorite song, you should go home right now and do that. I'm here to have an experience with y'all tonight, ya feel me?"[14]

On September 23, 2018, Glover reportedly injured his foot during his show in Dallas, leaving the stage early and not performing an encore set.[15]

On December 17, 2018, the final stop for the This is America Tour, Glover revealed that his father, Donald Glover Sr., passed away. He told the audience: "I lost my father a couple weeks ago and I wanted to play him some of the new songs but he didn't want to hear them, because he was like, 'I know they're going to be great.'" It was reported that he was holding back tears. Glover added, "I'm not saying that to talk about music — I say that to talk about trust. That's what love is. I hope you guys get to feel that kind of love."[16][17]

A few of the songs premiered in the live shows - namely "Atavista," "All Night," and "Human Sacrifice" - would not appear on Childish Gambino's fourth studio album, 3.15.20, making them exclusive to the tour until they appear on a future musical project by Glover.

Critical reception[]

Althea Legaspi of the Chicago Tribune wrote that Glover "offer[ed] a sacred space where love, loss, inequality and community were explored through song", and wrote that "this may be Glover's last hurrah as Childish Gambino, but the performance made a compelling case for seeking out his next incarnation."[18]

Karlton Jahmal of HotNewHipHop wrote that "Childish Gambino had the best concert I’ve witnesses since Yeezus, and hopefully, his retirement from touring is just a momentary lapse in judgment. A performance on this level will surely be missed."[19]

Alex Stedman of Variety wrote that "Gambino put on a show at Los Angeles’ the Forum that was at once spiritual and electric, a celebration of an eclectic discography and, hopefully, an exciting peek at what's to come."[20]

Charles Holmes of the Rolling Stone wrote that "The 'This Is America' Tour served as a symbolic funeral. It's a successful send-off for the Gambino moniker, and the hard-won development it represents, but not for Glover's music career. Donald Glover is still searching for himself as a musician, and made sure to provide a glimpse at what's yet to come."[21]

Opening acts[]

Setlist[]

The following setlist was obtained from the concert held on September 6, 2018, at the Infinite Energy Arena in Duluth, Georgia.[26] It does not represent every concert for the duration of the tour.

  1. "Atavista"
  2. "Algorhythm"
  3. "All Night"
  4. "Summertime Magic"
  5. "The Worst Guys"
  6. "Worldstar"
  7. "Stand Tall"
  8. "Boogieman" (with "Me and Your Mama" intro)
  9. "Riot"
  10. "Have Some Love"
  11. "Terrified"
  12. "Feels Like Summer"
  13. "Human Sacrifice" (with "39.28" intro)
  14. "This Is America"
Encore
  2. "Sober"
  3. "3005"
  4. "Sweatpants"
  5. "Redbone"

Shows[]

Date City Country Venue
North America[27]
September 6, 2018 Duluth United States Infinite Energy Arena
September 8, 2018 Chicago United Center
September 10, 2018 Toronto Canada Scotiabank Arena
September 12, 2018 Boston United States TD Garden
September 14, 2018 New York City Madison Square Garden
September 15, 2018
September 18, 2018 Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center
September 19, 2018 Washington, D.C. Capital One Arena
September 22, 2018 Houston Toyota Center
September 23, 2018 Dallas American Airlines Center
December 2, 2018 Nashville Bridgestone Arena
December 4, 2018 Denver Pepsi Center
December 7, 2018 Vancouver Canada Rogers Arena
December 11, 2018 Oakland United States Oracle Arena
December 12, 2018 San Jose SAP Center
December 15, 2018 Glendale Gila River Arena
December 16, 2018 Inglewood The Forum
December 17, 2018
Europe[28]
March 24, 2019 London England The O2 Arena
March 25, 2019
March 27, 2019 Paris France AccorHotels Arena
North American Festivals
April 12, 2019 Indio United States Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
April 19, 2019 Indio Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
April 27, 2019 Landover Broccoli City Festival
June 14, 2019 Manchester Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
Oceania
July 14, 2019 Perth Australia HBF Stadium
July 17, 2019 Melbourne Rod Laver Arena
July 19, 2019 Adelaide
July 20, 2019 Byron Bay Splendour in the Grass 2019
July 24, 2019 Sydney Qudos Bank Arena
North American Festivals
August 2, 2019 Chicago United States
August 4, 2019 Montreal Canada Osheaga Festival
August 9, 2019 San Francisco United States Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival
October 5, 2019 Austin Austin City Limits
October 12, 2019 Austin Austin City Limits
Cancellations and rescheduled shows
September 26, 2018 Inglewood, California The Forum Rescheduled to December 16, 2018[29]
September 27, 2018 Oakland, California Oracle Arena Rescheduled to December 11, 2018[29]
September 29, 2018 Seattle, Washington KeyArena Cancelled[29]
September 30, 2018 Vancouver, Canada Rogers Arena Rescheduled to December 7, 2018[29]
October 2, 2018 San Jose, California SAP Center Rescheduled to December 12, 2018[29]
October 3, 2018 Inglewood, California The Forum Rescheduled to December 17, 2018[29]
October 5, 2018 Glendale, Arizona Gila River Arena Rescheduled to December 15, 2018[29]
October 7, 2018 Austin, Texas Zilker Park Cancelled. This concert was a part of the "Austin City Limits Music Festival"[30]
October 9, 2018 Denver, Colorado Pepsi Center Rescheduled to December 4, 2018[29]
October 12, 2018 Nashville, Tennessee Bridgestone Arena Rescheduled to December 2, 2018[29]
October 14, 2018 Austin, Texas Zilker Park Cancelled. This concert was a part of the "Austin City Limits Music Festival"[30]
October 30, 2018 Paris, France Zénith Paris Rescheduled to March 27, 2019 and moved to the AccorHotels Arena
November 4, 2018 London, England The O2 Arena Rescheduled to March 24, 2019
November 8, 2018 Perth, Australia HBF Stadium Cancelled[31]
November 10, 2018 Melbourne, Australia Sidney Myer Music Bowl Cancelled[31]
November 14, 2018 Sydney, Australia Sydney Opera House Forecourt Cancelled[31]
November 15, 2018 Sydney, Australia Sydney Opera House Forecourt Cancelled[31]
November 17, 2018 Canberra, Australia Commonwealth Park Cancelled. This concert was a part of "Spilt Milk"[31]

Box office score data[]

Venue City Tickets sold / Available Gross revenue
Scotiabank Arena Toronto 14,305 / 14,305 (100%) $1,254,870[32]
Madison Square Garden New York City 27,678 / 27,678 (100%) $2,557,840[33]
Capital One Arena Washington, D.C. 12,556 / 13,193 (95%) $1,192,435[34]
Toyota Center Houston 9,965 / 11,544 (86%) $1,048,518[35]
American Airlines Center Dallas 10,986 / 11,747 (94%) $1,037,757[34]
Pepsi Center Denver 10,949 / 12,112 (90%) $932,758[36]
Rogers Arena Vancouver 12,263 / 13,161 (93%) $1,054,929[36]
Oracle Arena Oakland 12,296 / 13,306 (92%) $1,262,651[37]
Gila River Arena Glendale 11,328 / 12,273 (92%) $829,772[36]
The Forum Inglewood 26,673 / 26,673 (100%) $2,447,306[38]
The O2 Arena London 31,657 / 35,041 (90%) $2,070,440[39]
AccorHotels Arena Paris 10,051 / 14,471 (69%) $596,884[40]
TOTAL 190,707 / 205,504 (93%) $16,286,160

References[]

  1. ^ Butler, Will (June 4, 2017). "Donald Glover reveals that next Childish Gambino project will be his final album". NME. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  2. ^ Finley, Taryn (June 6, 2017). "Donald Glover Reveals Why He's Retiring Childish Gambino". HuffPost. AOL. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  3. ^ Halperin, Shirley; Aswad, Jem (January 22, 2018). "Childish Gambino Signs With RCA, New Music on the Way". Variety. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Asward, Jem (May 6, 2018). "Childish Gambino Performs Brand-New Song, 'Saturday,' on 'SNL'". Variety. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  5. ^ Trust, Gary (May 14, 2018). "Childish Gambino's 'This Is America' Blasts in at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  6. ^ Cornish, Audie (May 7, 2018). "Donald Glover's 'This Is America' Holds Ugly Truths To Be Self-Evident". NPR. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  7. ^ Teesema, Martha (May 6, 2018). "Donald Glover tackles gun violence in powerful video for 'This Is America,' his new single". Mashable. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  8. ^ Rao, Sonia (May 9, 2018). "'This Is America': Breaking down Childish Gambino's powerful new music video". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  9. ^ Aswad, Jem (July 11, 2018). "Childish Gambino Drops Two New Summer-Themed Songs". Variety. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  10. ^ Saponara, Michael (July 11, 2018). "Childish Gambino Brings Ultimate Summer Vibes With Two New Tracks". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  11. ^ "Childish Gambino – Feels Like Summer Lyrics". Genius. July 11, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  12. ^ Rindner, Grant; Paulin, Jer; Hill, Tia; Morel, Jacques (September 2, 2018). "Childish Gambino's "Feels Like Summer" Video Features Cartoon Renditions of Rap's Elite". Genius. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  13. ^ Minsker, Evan (September 4, 2018). "Childish Gambino Sent 2 New Songs to His Fans". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  14. ^ Cowen, Trace William (September 7, 2018). "Donald Glover: 'This Is the Last Gambino Tour Ever'". Complex. Complex Media. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  15. ^ Montgomery, Sarah Jasmine (September 24, 2018). "Childish Gambino Reportedly Injured at Dallas Show". Complex. Complex Media. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  16. ^ "Donald Glover Finishes This Is America Tour by Honoring Late Father, Playing Unreleased Music". Billboard. December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  17. ^ Mendez, Marisa (December 18, 2018). "Childish Gambino Announces Father's Death With Special Tribute". XXL. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  18. ^ Legaspi, Althea (September 9, 2018). "Childish Gambino created a sacred space, explored love and loss, and brought the funk". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  19. ^ Jahmal, Karlton. "Childish Gambino's "This Is America" Tour Proves His Endless Talent & Creativity". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  20. ^ Stedman, Alex (December 17, 2018). "Concert Review: Childish Gambino Takes L.A. to Church for 'This Is America' Tour Finale". Variety. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  21. ^ Holmes, Charles (September 15, 2018). "If This Is Really Childish Gambino's Last Tour, He's Leaving It All on the Stage". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  22. ^ Renshaw, Daviv (March 5, 2018). "Childish Gambino and Rae Sremmurd are going on tour together". The Fader. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  23. ^ "CHILDISH GAMBINO, VINCE STAPLES ANNOUNCE TOUR". Alternative Press. April 30, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  24. ^ Thompson, Desire (February 16, 2019). "Childish Gambino Announces New European Tour Dates With H.E.R." Vibe. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  25. ^ Jenke, Tyler (11 July 2019). "Childish Gambino adds Channel Tres as Melbourne and Sydney support". Tone Deaf. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  26. ^ Schatz, Lake (September 7, 2018). "Childish Gambino debuts new music at "This Is America Tour" kick-off". Consequence of Sound. Consequence Holdings, LLC. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  27. ^ Sources for tour dates in North America:
  28. ^ Sources for tour dates in Europe:
  29. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Henderson, Cydney (September 26, 2018). "Childish Gambino postpones 'This is America' tour because of foot injury". USA Today. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  30. ^ Jump up to: a b Knight, Drew (September 26, 2018). "Childish Gambino cancels ACL 2018 performances, Phoenix, Lil Wayne added to lineup". KVUE. Tegna Inc. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  31. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Mack, Emmy (November 27, 2018). "Childish Gambino's Australian Tour Will Not Be Rescheduled". Music Feeds. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  32. ^ "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Nashville, Tennessee. 130. November 24, 2018. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  33. ^ "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Nashville, Tennessee. 130. October 27, 2018. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  34. ^ Jump up to: a b "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Nashville, Tennessee. 130 (26). November 10, 2018. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on November 2, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  35. ^ "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Nashville, Tennessee. 130 (24). October 20, 2018. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on October 15, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  36. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Nashville, Tennessee. 131. March 16, 2019. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  37. ^ "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Nashville, Tennessee. 130. December 29, 2018. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  38. ^ "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Nashville, Tennessee. 131. February 23, 2019. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  39. ^ "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Nashville, Tennessee. 131 (11). April 27, 2019. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  40. ^ "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Nashville, Tennessee. 131 (12). May 11, 2019. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
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