Kehlani brought their Crash World Tour to Charlotte, NC
OCTOBER 22, 2024 | by MONTANA DONAHUE
Kehlani hit the stage in Charlotte, North Carolina on October 2nd, about mid-way through the North American leg of their Crash world tour. After hitting Raleigh, NC the previous night, the Queen City was ready to have a fantastic time with Kehlani.
Anycia, hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, started off the night early, warming the crowd up with her set. She took advantage of the large stage, going back and forth between each side and interacting with fans all around the venue. She started rapping in 2022 and has been releasing single after single ever since. Anycia has a great stage presence and she kept the energy high throughout her whole set. She just released an album earlier this year titled, Princess Pop That. With her witty personality, she got the crowd to laugh and join her in doing calls and responses throughout her set. She will be opening for Kehlani for the entirety of the North American tour, so be sure to check her out!
The night continued on with FLO. The girl group from London strutted across the stage and had the crowd dancing. With a sound very reminiscent of the 90’s R&B girl group, TLC, it was like getting a front row seat to the glory days of MTV. They played some of their hit songs like “Walk Like This,” “Check,” and “Cardboard Box.” The group was captivating on stage with their choreography and gorgeous harmonies. I have never pulled up an artist’s Spotify as fast as I did theirs, I made note to listen to more of their music after the show because they were phenomenal. They taught the crowd a section of their recent singles, “Caught Up,” before they performed it, encouraging fans to assist them in finishing the song. Before the group played their last few songs, they made sure to shout-out the Queen City for being the best crowd so far of the tour. While it was a shorter set of only eight songs, the group made the crowd and me want to beg for more. Like Anycia, FLO will be joining Kehlani on the rest of the Crash North American Tour.
As soon as the lights went down, signaling the start of Kehlani’s long awaited set, the crowd began to roar. They started their set off with “Next 2 U.” … The night was packed full of choreography and a 32 song setlist, easily one of the longest set lists I have ever seen . With a set list that long, Kehlani made the night worth every penny their fans spent. I hope to see Kehlani playing at a stadium the next time they are in North Carolina because their show was one of the most bewitching performances I have ever been fortunate enough to see. I was unable to take my eyes off them. They played almost all of their songs from their album Crash that was released June 2024, including songs like; “GrooveTheory,” “Chapel,” “Lose My Wife,” and “8.” They played multiple songs off their most recent album, While We Wait 2 (released in August), like “Clothes Off,” “Border,” and “When He’s Not There.” The R&B/Soul artist has been killing it over the last decade, starting out on America’s Got Talent in 2011 with the band, Poplyfe, before going solo and releasing their first single in 2013. They also played songs off their 2020 album It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, like “Toxic,” “Can I,” and “Hate The Club.” At one point during the show, Kehlani made their way into the crowd and joined the fans. They included some songs from the predecessor album to While We Wait 2 titled, While We Wait, that was released in 2019, like “Nunya” and “Nights Like This.” They didn’t solely stick to playing their own music, they included a couple covers like Bruno Mars’ “Marry You,” Cardi B’s “Ring” (that Kehlani is featured on), and “Kehlani” by Jordan Adetunji. They ended the night off with “After Hours - Cater 2 U Remix” and “After Hours.” After the show, I was talking with my dad (who picked me up) and he said you could hear the music from a block away. Kehlani had it feeling like it was a Friday or Saturday night, not the Wednesday it actually was. Their set design was simply put, incredible. There was plenty of room for Kehlani to move all over the stage, they were interacting with their band and when dancers joined them on stage, it all flowed together like a well oiled machine. This was one of the first shows I have ever photographed with advanced choreography and I’m not sure how I’ll be okay with shooting less produced shows. I am excited to attend another one of Kehlani’s shows in the future because it was an incredible experience, from the packed set list to the choreography.
Kehlani has only announced the North American dates for their Crash World Tour so far, but for those not in the US or British Columbia, be on the lookout because those dates will hopefully be dropping soon. But for those in the US and British Columbia who want to see Kehlani, they are on tour until the beginning of November, finishing up their string of dates with the West Coast. Also be sure to check out their Instagram because they have been announcing official after parties hosted by them for various cities.
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