"If you have a chance to catch the Mansion in Wiscansin Party, I highly suggest you take it; as someone who virtually lives and breathes live music, I can say unequivocally, you don’t want to miss this one."
Don’t shoot the messenger, but I think it’s safe to say that Pier Six Pavilion is one of [if not] the best venues in Baltimore. Though I am a tad biased, having seen my very first concert there, I nonetheless can attest that every show I’ve seen has wildly exceeded my expectations. As it happens, my most recent adventure to the harbor’s hottest venue was the best one yet; with non-other than globally beloved superstar T-Pain. For all the concerts I’ve seen, this one was a long time coming.
I still remember the first times I heard so many of [T-Pain’s] songs, from hearing “Bartender” from the back of my aunt’s van, to repeatedly watching Step Up 2 and hearing “Church” and of course “Low”. Unlike many others, T-Pain has provided a consistent soundtrack through the years of my life. Joining the “Buy U a Drank” singer in support were a trio of openers, including, up and coming rappers Young Cash, NandoSTL, and social media sensation LaRussell. All of these performers put on a dope show.
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Young Cash opened up the show with a swift fifteen-minute set; laid back and to the point, [Young Cash] obviously knows how to keep it simple, putting the onus on the rhythm and rhymes. That is… until he was joined on stage by a mardi-gras toting friend of a much smaller stature; it was unexpected, but damn memorable, that’s for sure.
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NandoSTL might be one of my new favorite rappers, if for no other reason than his absolutely impeccable energy. Seriously, I’ve never seen a rapper dance and smile so much on stage; with the kind of aura that radiates through a crowd, NandoSTL commands the stage with an effortlessly pure sense of joy. I’ll be looking out for him whenever he makes his way back to my neck of the woods.
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I remember the first time I came across a LaRussell freestyle scrolling through Instagram. That was just a couple years ago, and to see the rising lyricist ascend from humble beginnings to burgeoning stardom is incredibly gratifying. Following in the [still warm] footsteps of NandoSTL, LaRussell hit the stage armed with a blinding smile, and it never disappeared. Black boy joy aside, [LaRussell] is a man of the people, taking crowd suggestions throughout his set; if they asked for it, he played it. LaRussell cares, and he isn’t afraid to show it; As a fan, I don’t know what more you could ask for.
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As for the man himself, I wouldn’t be surprised if you told me that downtown Baltimore is still buzzing from his performance. T-Pain is a showman if ever I saw one, and from start to finish, he was ON. Without a doubt, one of the most underrated dancers and overall hilarious personalities, T-Pain is the kind of artist that most strive to be, perfectly authentic. On top of that, the number of hits this man has is sneakily overwhelming; I can count on one hand the number of concerts I’ve been to where I knew EVERY song in the set, and this was one of them. Even lesser-known sleeper hits like “Best Love Song” got the live treatment.
Speaking of live treatment, the covers were astounding. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t often go back to listen to many of the hits I grew up hearing, but [T-Pain’s] recent collection of live covers On Top of the Covers, was far and away one of the best albums of 2023; and to the luck of everyone in attendance, we were treated to renditions of “Don’t Stop Believin’”, “Tennessee Whiskey”, and “Stay with Me”. When you sing a song (a smash hit no less) better than the original, it becomes pretty clear that you’re doing something right; I think we can safely say at this point, there’s not much T-Pain can do wrong.
If you have a chance to catch the Mansion in Wiscansin Party, I highly suggest you take it; as someone who virtually lives and breathes live music, I can say unequivocally, you don’t want to miss this one. Until then, go bump some T-Pain, it’s the least you can do for a national treasure.
Full Gallery Below!
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