A Night to Remember: Wale Performs at The Tabernacle in Atlanta

Written and Captured By | Aleni Barkley

It was an eventful Friday night in Atlanta as concerts were happening just a half mile apart.  The streets were busy, and the Tabernacle was filling fast. I ran into a Washington DC native I knew. “I should have known you’d be here,” I said to her. Wale brought many fans of different age groups. There were couples in the crowd embracing and singing to each other. Ladies dancing and enjoying their girls’ night out. I saw some men in the crowd having a smoke and bobbing their heads to the music.  

Swavay opened for Wale and he informed the crowd that he is an Atlanta native. He came out in a red, Suzuki leather jacket, black, leather pants and a black durag. Swavay had the crowd chanting “Go shorty, shorty go,” a famous line from Atlanta trio Travis Porter. He then performed his track titled “Go Shorty.” Between sets the dj did a great job of keeping the crowd on their toes.  He played slower R&B tracks like “IYKYK” and viral smash “Like That!” Then he followed with the drill hit “BAND4BAND” and BossMan Dlow’s “Talk My Sh*t.” The crowd was anxiously waiting and knew Wale would be hitting the stage at any moment. A fan behind me was hoping for Wale to perform three songs per album. 

See more photos of Swavay HERE

Wale hit the stage dressed in all black attire. He wore a beanie that read “skeleton beach” along with a camouflage freedom bib made by The North Face. Wale mentioned how he lived in Atlanta for four years and that it felt like home. He thanked his fans for showing up and rocking out with him even though there was a concert taking place nearby at State Farm Arena. Wale acknowledged that the crowd at his shows are usually predominantly African American.  

See more photos of Wale HERE

 I saw men and women dancing to his set. There were loud cheers and many phones capturing the future memories. Wale’s set was full of hits. He also performed some newer songs, including one that displayed his melodic vocals. It was a perfect vibe. There were moments he slowed it down, with songs like “Lotus Flower Bomb” that allowed the crowd to belt out melodies. There were other moments that he hyped the crowd. “No Hands” dropped and the crowd went crazy. Wale didn’t need to say a word. The crowd recited his verse bar for bar as he stood in awe holding the mic toward the fans. Every track had the crowd engaged from the floor to the balcony.