I have been to my fair share of concerts and seen some big names across many genres. However, I can confidently assert that Childish Gambino’s “The New World Tour” performance was an unparalleled experience. The combination of visuals, vocals and dancers elevated this show to make it truly one of a kind.  

On Saturday night, the “This is America” singer graced the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans with a two-hour show celebrating his newest album, “Bando Stone and The New World,” while still honoring his classic hits. Although the singer told The New York Times earlier this year that he was ready to announce the end of his alter ego “Childish Gambino” and henceforth solely be known as “Donald Glover,” he is determined for his final tour to go out with a bang. 

Willow Smith, the indie singer, appeared on stage before the main act. Her voice filled the arena as she passionately belted out some of her most famous songs, such as “Wait a Minute” and “Meet Me at Our Spot.” The artist sang soulfully to the audience. Smith mentioned how grateful she was for the opportunity to open for Gambino multiple times — you could tell she was leaving everything on the stage.  

After Smith completed her set, Childish Gambino took the stage, inviting the audience into his apocalyptic scene, as red lights began to flash and the music volume dramatically increased. He came out in a leather space suit completed with a futuristic helmet to play “H3@RT$ W3RE M3@NT To F7Ұ” while lasers blasted behind him. He spent the first part of the night playing much of his new album, including “Survive,” “Yoshinoya,” “Talk my S**t” and “Got to Be.”  

The lighting was mesmerizing. Over the main stage hung a giant laser set up with individual rods, continuously moving and switching colors during his performance. These rods formed different patterns and shapes, projecting Gambino’s face at one point in the night. 

To transition from the first half of the night, which consisted mostly of songs from his newer albums like “Atravista” and “Bando Stone and the New World,” Gambino headed backstage with the camera crew trailing behind. He was pictured sitting down, drinking a glass of water and announcing that this was the “intermission” of the night and to buckle up because the second half was going to be a wild ride.  

To start the second act, Gambino performed a sort of disappearing act as he magically teleported from the main stage to the second stage in a split second. He brought the audience back to his earlier music, beginning with “Me and Your Mama” and “This is America.” If you were a true fan, this part of the night was euphoric. Gambino cycled through his classics, the most notable being “Sober,” “Bonfire,” “3005” and finishing with “Redbone.” As a major fan whose favorite song is “Bonfire,” it was so powerful to hear the audience singing his lyrics back to him with all their might. It was an electrifying moment that captured the dedicated essence of his fans.  

Gambino returned to the stage to perform his “Lithonia” encore after the tour credits rolled with “Real Love” as the background track. During the encore, the singer encouraged the audience to put up a middle finger while the lighting was a sort of rainbow ombre, embodying the song’s chorus that nobody truly “gives a f—.”  

Throughout the night, Gambino repeatedly reminded his fans that he was more than just a musician. As the evening ended, I could not help but feel a mix of emotions. It was bittersweet to see an artist I’ve adored for years perform live for the first and last time. Not only was it his last performance as Childish Gambino, but it was his last performance on this tour, at least for a while: just after passing through New Orleans, he announced that he had postponed later tour stops to focus on his physical health. This was truly the performance of a lifetime.