Throughout the mid 2000’s, T-Pain had a stronghold on hip-hop and cranked out hits year after year. Now, almost two decades after T-Pain’s debut hit single “I’m Sprung”, the 37-year-old is back on the road for a revival. In his 10th show of his "Road to Wiscansin Tour" featuring Erica Banks, Yung Cash and DJ Honeycomb, T-Pain had The Ritz packed wall-to-wall.
After a short countdown from Nappy Boy Entertainment, T-Pain emerged from the darkness of the stage and stood in front of the large LED panels dressed in a vibrant, all-red suit with matching hat. The first 20 minutes alone had the audience awestruck, with fans matching T-Pain’s cadence on songs like “Cyclone”, “Booty Wurk”, and “2 Step” as he danced across the stage. As he moved onto the bulk of his set with songs like “I’m Sprung” and “Up Down”, T-Pain’s performance was exhilarating as he brought out his best dance moves, consistently interacted with the crowd, and had a plethora of lights and LED panels which brought amazing production value to his show. By the end of his 90-minute set, which ended with “Welcome to My Hood” and “I Like Dat”, T-Pain had changed outfits five times and had the packed theater chanting for an encore.
Earlier in the evening, Banks prepped the stage for T-Pain and had the crowd vibing during her set. All the women in the building were living for her performance, and a few lucky fans went onstage during her hit single “Buss It”. By the end of her set, fans were anxious and ready for T-Pain, the legend himself. Before Banks, Florida rapper Yung Cash hit the stage with songs such as “I’m a Freak” and “Sugar Walls”. As he jumped across the stage, Yung Cash had the crowd jumping with him, and gave a quick shout out to Duval County before exiting the stage. Prior to Yung Cash’s performance, DJ Honeycomb provided organic sounds by beat boxing and interacting with the crowd, keeping the room fresh for the start of the show.
The experience? Nostalgic. The energy? Absolute ecstasy. The visuals? Immaculate. T-Pain is back, showing his influence with a tour full of sold-out shows, and a collective of talented artists. As T-Pain’s tour merchandise suggests; “Make T-Pain Famous Again!”.
