Kehlani Takes Over Chicago With A Sold-Out Performance At Huntington Bank Pavilion
Written and Captured By | Sholome Geldres
Kehlani stopped by Huntington Bank Pavilion in Chicago on the third stop of her world tour on August 9th. She sold out the Pavilion to her die-hard fans, and they showed up for her even with iffy weather almost impeding the night. But that didn’t stop her fans from showing up and enjoying the show.
On the day of the show, Chicago was facing severe thunderstorms and heavy rain a couple of hours prior, and it looked like the weather was going to disrupt Kehlani’s performance. As a result, her team decided to move all the openers’ sets earlier so Kehlani could go on sooner, trying to avoid the bad weather and prevent it from interrupting the show.
Dixson, with his soulful voice, kicked off the night. He serenaded the crowd with his beautiful singing. As people trickled into the Pavilion, you could see their heads turn directly toward him. His performance was very captivating, and his voice grabbed everyone’s attention in the room. It definitely started the night off right.
The Artist brought the energy when she took the stage next. As soon as she stepped onstage, she captivated the crowd with her commanding presence and kept them engaged throughout her set. And don’t even get me started on her vocals. Kehlani was not messing around when she picked her openers.
Rounding out the night’s opening acts was Durand Bernarr, who energized the crowd with his soulful voice and high-energy performance style. He definitely took command of the stage and has amazing crowd work. The way he engages the audience throughout his performance truly makes you feel like, no matter where you are in the Pavilion, he’s making you feel like you’re sitting in the front row.
At last, the time came for Kehlani to take the stage, and you could feel the anticipation from her fans all night long. When the stage went dark, her fans let out the loudest roars of cheers for her. She started the night with “Another Lova,” and she delivered from the beginning! Her showmanship is truly astonishing, and she has some of the best backup dancers I’ve seen.
She crafted her performance so beautifully that each song transitioned smoothly into the next, and the storytelling she shared throughout the night elevated her artistry to another level, especially on this tour.
One of the highlights of the Chicago stop was when she performed “After Hours” and sampled Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” during the dance break, paying tribute to him. Michael’s sister, Janet Jackson, was in the audience.
Toward the end of the night, when she sang “Unlearned,” all three of the openers joined her onstage, creating a quartet of vocals and harmonizing so beautifully. Of course, she closed out the night with “Folded.” Hearing the audience sing the song with her at the top of their lungs showed how much it meant to Kehlani, who even took out one of her in-ears to hear them sing.
It was such an incredible night of music and performances from all the artists who took the stage.
