By Yana Danzig, Audrey Weiss, Tali Yakopson
At 9 p.m. on Aug. 20, Donald Glover took the stage at PPG Arena for his final tour, concluding a 13-year career as the music artist Childish Gambino.
The tour, titled “The New World Tour,” highlighted Childish Gambino’s conceptual album “Bando Stone & The New World.” The artist’s fifth studio album was released July 19 as a surprise album following the reissuing of album “Atavista,” earlier in the year.
The two new releases came together along with selections from his overall body of work to form a nearly two-hour set, encapsulating his artistic career for his Pittsburgh fans in attendance.
The timing of the show lined up perfectly for the return of certain groups of students to Carnegie Mellon’s campus, specifically those involved in first-year orientation and athletic programming.
Gambino’s return to Pittsburgh, his second show there since his 2012 tour, allowed students from Pittsburgh’s local colleges a chance to say goodbye to the prolific persona who’s been producing music since 2008.
On why Glover is discarding the persona, he told Billboard: “It really was just like, ‘Oh, it’s done.’ It’s not fulfilling.”
To date, Gambino is a Grammy award winning artist in RnB-inspired funk, noted for his personal spin on hip-hop. Each of his albums share the intent of story-telling, ranging from personal narratives to social movements.
However, Glover is not solely a music artist. He is also an actor, with roots in the hit sitcom “Community.” He has continued his engagement in the film industry by starring, creating, and occasionally directing the TV series “Atlanta.” Currently, Glover aims to further pursue this with his multimedia production company Gilga.
Glover combined music and film with “Bando Stone & The New World,” as the album will be the soundtrack to an upcoming movie. Both “Bando Stone & The New World” and “Atavista” stood out from his past work, yet Gambino kept within the scope of the RnB genre, adding an innovative and fresh sound.
In this first leg of the tour, Glover was joined by opener WILLOW. WILLOW featured her 2024 album, “Empathogen,” which corresponded with Gambino’s usual style.
WILLOW’s stage design was very simple, featuring just an arch and bright spotlight behind her to cast her and her band in an ethereal light. This made it all the more exciting when the arena was transformed into a sea of lasers and bass.
Gambino cautioned his audience at the start of the set that things were going to get wild.
From lasers blasting out from the pit, to a mechanical system of rods that moved sequentially up and down to form both his own face and other symbols throughout the night, Gambino’s set was filled with wowing special effects.
This bold production reflects the ethos “New World” aims for. “I really wanted to be able to play big rooms and have big, anthemic songs that fill those rooms, so that people feel a sense of togetherness,” Glover told Forbes.
Gambino’s performance worked hard to engage with the audience. At his Pittsburgh show, he repeatedly questioned his crowd, prompting them to sing lyrics and demonstrate their dedication.
“Are y’all real fans though?” Glover repeated throughout the night, raising the stakes with every prompt as he staged a competition between Pittsburgh and the previous cities.
Pittsburgh won his approval by the end of night, as Gambino finally declared that Pittsburgh trumped Toronto, the previous “winners.” This approval led to an extra song played for the audience in addition to the standard set list.
All in all, the night was an all immersive experience that seemingly satisfied the loud and engaged audience. However, a Sept. 9 announcement informed ticket holders for upcoming concerts that their shows would be postponed.
Glover announced to fans on X that for “physical health” reasons, he would need to delay the rest of the tour, thanking his audience for the “privacy,” “support,” and “love.”
This tour marks the end of Childish Gambino. Though it’s unclear when — and as who — Glover will release more music, “real fans” can look forward to the Gilga film “Bando Stone & the New World.” Similar to the album itself, mystery surrounds the film’s release.
Fans will have to acclimate to this new expression of Glover’s artistry and keep their eyes out for news of the artist formerly known as Childish Gambino.
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