It took a 23-year-old South Side artist to bring a major festival to U.S. Cellular Field, and Chance the Rapper’s Magnificent Coloring Day filled the ballpark Saturday with a stadium-record rainbow coalition of 47,754 fans.
After a few early hiccups, Chance and his team delivered a stellar lineup – from Alicia Keys to Lil Wayne — and a show long on inspirational themes. And, yes, there were unannounced cameos by a few high-profile friends: Kanye West, Common, Hannibal Buress, even the Bulls’ Jimmy Butler took an on-stage bow. Chance has been playing by his own rules for years, divorcing himself from the music industry’s trickle-down economic model to forge his own path. Part of that mission involves fusing genre-busting music with social themes and community activism. The festival Saturday satisfied all three imperatives.
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Things got off to a rocky start, with Young Thug a no-show (he reportedly was late for his scheduled 2:40 p.m. start time and was bumped from the lineup). Tyler, the Creator criticized the festival for selling seats with obstructed views behind the stage. (Several of these patrons say they bought seats with no warning that they wouldn’t be able to actually see the performers, only video screens. On Monday, a spokesman for promoter Madison House Presents said ticket buyers were alerted of an obstructed view if they bought tickets through Ticketmaster, but may not have been notified if they bought their tickets on the secondary market.)
When the volume plug was abruptly pulled on Tyler as he was wrapping up his set, things appeared to be going downhill fast. But it turned out it was all just a set-up for West’s explosive entrance. In no mood to chat, West simply threw one haymaking beat after another – “Black Skinhead,” “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” “All Falls Down.” He finally broke into a smile when Chance joined him to reprise their all-star duet on the gospelized “Ultralight Beam,” then the two walked off arm-in-arm, like a couple of gladiators who had just tag-teamed the stadium into a frenzy.
John Legend glided between ballads and uptempo tracks, and whether hunched over his piano or strolling down the walkway from the stage, he never appeared to break a sweat. His plea for a “Green Light” or pledge of devotion in “All of Me” were all cut from the same romantic cloth. But when Common joined him for “Glory,” the energy surged as Legend tested his voice’s upper register and Common raised a fist in memory of Chicago shooting victims Laquan McDonald and Rekia Boyd.
Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz traded songs, but it was Wayne’s world all the way – the diminutive, dread-locked MC remains a brilliant weirdo with his bullfrog vocals, herky-jerky dancing and mix of outlaw swagger and smiling resilience.
Keys threw back her head and sang like her life depended on every note. Even “Empire State of Mind” couldn’t be denied in enemy territory – it’s that stirring of an anthem. She sang “Fallin'” with such fervor the audience answered her every wail with cheers. She projected a kind of mischievous joy when she made eye contact with her bandmates or a fan – and then she was gone after a filled-to-the-brim 40 minutes. More, please.
How to follow that? Chance, of course, had a plan.
“Take it back to the old things that matter,” a Sesame-Street-like puppet named “Carlos” instructed the rapper who dressed in white for the occasion. Chance tends to turn his big shows into one-of-a-kind spectacles that are as much theatrical as musical, and this was no exception. Carlos and a series of puppet characters – representing, among others, an old girlfriend and a gospel choir – served as alter-egos and accomplices in Chance’s self-inquiry. What at first appeared to be a tentative and unsure Chance was actually revealed as an actor in a play of his own making. Through the 90-minute set, Chance calibrated and recalibrated what matters in his music under Carlos’ interrogation, and in turn challenged the audience to search for the best in itself.
“Take it back to the old things that matter” is another way of articulating what an artist’s mission is. It is about entertaining, sure, but there was no mistaking the context of this show. Chance had been aiming to stage a major festival in his neighborhood for several years, partly to counteract negatives stereotypes of how the South Side is often portrayed in the media.
Amid guns and hopelessness, this music and this festival were designed to serve as a counter. The diversity of the audience and the lineup — and the messages delivered from the stage — spoke loudly. On his latest album, Chance declares, “All we got is music,” but he also has helped build a community to go with it.
As Chance and his band, the Social Experiment, worked through “Cocoa Butter Kisses,” “Special,” “Sunday Candy” and other rousing songs, he strived to fulfill Carlos’ request. “I think I get it now,” Chance said. He was talking to his audience as much as himself. “Are you ready for your blessing?” he asked. “It’s coming.”
greg@gregkot.com
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