Long Live Montero tour
As bright white lights lit up the Coca-Cola Roxy theater stage, a silhouette appeared on the closed curtains that opened with the telltale production tag of musical producers “Take a Daytrip” who have worked with the musical star Lil Nas X to produce his biggest hits to date.
Standing center stage in a black and gold outfit, Lil Nas X performed the fan favorite “Panini” to open the concert. As he danced around the stage his vocal performance was accompanied by bright lights, thematic backdrops, and a talented all-male team of backup dancers. The concert was split into three acts each with their own theme and a setlist to match.
Act one “Rebirth” focused on Lil Nas X’s slower and more relaxed songs about his life before fame. Highlights of act one included “Sun Goes Down” and “Tales of Dominica” which both focus heavily on his struggles with his mental health, family, and sexuality. The live performance added an extra layer of vulnerability and emotion that doesn’t completely translate to the traditional recordings of these songs. Act one closed with the song that started it all — “Old Town Road,” a fitting end for “Rebirth” as this song changed Lil Nas X’s life forever.
In between each act “The Wizard Of Nas,” the storyteller of the concert, visited the audience to preview the next act. These intermissions offered a comedic moment of peace for those in the crowd as everyone took a break from screaming and singing along to hear what The Wizard Of Nas had to say. However, one intermission just moments into the first act didn’t include a visit from The Wizard but instead a few words from Lil Nas X himself about how he’d be back on stage shortly after his bathroom emergency subsided.
Act two “Transformation” matched the energy set of its predecessor with more hits like “Dead Right Now” and “Don’t Want It.” Act two provided the best visuals out of the three with intricate choreography from the backup dancers that included flips and other acrobatics.
The third and final act of the concert titled “Becoming” featured Lil Nas X’s most popular songs “Call Me By Your Name” and “Industry Baby” as well as a surprise performance of an unreleased song called “Down Souf Hoes.” After a seven-minute-long performance of an extended and remixed version of “Industry Baby,” butterfly-shaped confetti rained down over the audience. The butterflies symbolized the transformation of Lil Nas X’s life and how it had transformed into something greater. After the performance, the curtains reopened minutes later for an encore performance of his latest release “STAR WALKIN’.”
Aside from the painfully long and boring pre-concert performance from a local Atlanta DJ duo, everything was perfect. The visuals, the performance, and the energy from the crowd all far exceeded expectations.
Score 5/5
