The Mansion in Wiscansin Party Takes Over Downtown Baltimore

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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