There’s an unwritten rule somewhere that says one should never wear their own band’s t-shirt. But, if headlining the Ogden on your 21st birthday, you know what? Go on and do what’cha like, kid.
Chance the Rapper celebrated his 21st Wednesday by playing to an enthusiastic sold-out crowd at Denver’s Ogden Theatre. And yes, toward the end of his set he wore a “Chance just turned 21” shirt. Hey, it’s his party and he can wear what he wants to. And what a party it was: champagne, cake, candy…but more on that later.
The tale of Chance, a.k.a. Chancelor Bennett, is a Cinderella story of sorts. In 2011, while suspended from school in his native Chicago, Chance recorded a mixtape that would later be released as “10 Day.” In 2012, he went on the road to open for actor Donald Glover aka rapper Childish Gambino. He then recorded his second mixtape, “Acid Rap,” which catapulted him into the spotlight: It was named Rolling Stone #1 mixtape of 2013, Chance took Spin Magazine’s rapper of the year award, and he was even given props on .
And he did it all as an independent artist with no label — releasing his music for free so it would be accessible to all. And it’s still free. .
This DIY ethos and the act of keeping community at the core has seemed to keep the young star grounded. Yeah, he’s done some songs with some heavyweights like Lil’ Wayne (and Biebs, but I don’t think that counts) but, while racking up accolades, he’s still maintained the respect of an avid fan base who sees Chance as accessible. His lyrics are real: reflections on life in Chicago, high school (“Prom Night”), equality (“Everybody’s Somebody”) and packed with humor and honesty. He’s one of us.
Which leads me to this: It’s a rare sort of performer that can break down the barrier between the stage and the audience and make the entire room feel conjoined. But where most fail — the typical “we love you Denver” remarks come off as trite and banal — Chance succeeds. Everyone at the Ogden Wednesday was his personal guest at his birthday party, and it was clear Chance was having the time of his life. His crew was as well, joining the band on stage several times to hit the audience with Super Soakers, throw handfuls of candy into the crowd, and for an unbelievable encore of “Juice” that had the entire place going ballistic.
Chance has made no secret of the influence Michael Jackson has had on him. The King of Pop was everywhere Wednesday night: House music before the show, some of Chance’s more coordinated dance moves, and, in what is perhaps the best meta Simpsons reference ever, a birthday cake presentation accompanied by a crowd sing-along to while presenting Chance with a cake.
Fresh off the heels of his Coachella set where none other than , Chance ripped through tracks off both his mixtapes (although he seemed to truncate many of them for some reason.) What sets Chance apart from many rappers (both young and established) is his phenomenal backing band. His guitarist, drummer, horn player and keyboardist bounced like a hyperactive Pandora station through rock, smooth jazz, funk, blues and the frenetic beats of Chance’s “Acid Rap.” It’s a dynamic that most rappers can’t pull off — rapping alongside other musicians, but alternating between rapping, spoken word and singing, Chance did so fluidly. This musicianship elevates Chance over rappers his own age — notably, Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler the Creator who are still backed by recorded tracks.
He also played a new track that he’s been teasing live lately: the horn-heavy “Paradise,” . (Bonus: Here’s another new recording: ““)
With its lyrics about life in some of Chicago’s most dangerous hoods, the poignant “Paranoia” was a somber, yet high point for the show.
“It’s a story that has to be told. But there’s a lot of positive going on there. I want to share that side of the city with you, too,” Chance said. Appropriately the next song was “Everything’s Good (Good Ass Outro),” during which his crew sprayed champagne on the crowd. Other highlights were an unbelievably amazing version of “Brain Cells,” the touching “Cocoa Butter Kisses” and, in the award for the weirdest addition of the night, the
A late and welcome addition, Air Dubai fit the bill perfect on Tuesday as the night’s opener. With an equally-adept mix of live instrumentation and hip-hop, the band warmed up the audience with a taste of the musicianship they expected later that night. The Denver sextet, which had a moderate hit in 2013 with the song “” played close to an hour-long set of indie-rock-outfitted hip-hop. You can catch them in May at 1-up Colfax, or on any of the across the U.S.
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Laura Keeney is an online news producer and journalist for The Denver Post. She’s obsessed with Joe Strummer, comic books and all the live music. Follow her .
