Wake Up Charlotte! Logic Is In The House

College Park Tour Stops at Skyla Credit Union Ampitheatre

Two-time Grammy nominee Logic recently released his eighth studio album, College Park. This was the rapper’s first release after his departure from Def Jam Recordings and was released independently on his own Bobby Boy Records. Now that he has established control over his own career, Logic made the decision to support the album with a tour that focuses on a bit smaller, more intimate venues in order to get closer to the fans. Recently, he made a stop in Charlotte playing to a capacity crowd at Skyla Credit Union Ampitheatre and what a show it was.

The College Park Tour brought several talented artists along for the ride including rapper and founding member of the Southern hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, Juicy J as well as some up-and-coming talent from the Bobby Boy Records roster with C Dot Castro and Travis Stacey.

As the crowd poured into the venue, the hype guys were busy getting the fans fired up. A few minutes later, Travis Stacey hit the stage armed with an electric guitar. With a grin on his face, he held the attention of the fans at the barricade who periodically shouted “We love you, Travis!” His set was only a little over ten minutes long but well received as he played tracks “Worms” and “Sequoia” to get the evening going. He even took a moment to thank his mom after joking that he still lived in his mom’s basement. (Stay tuned for more mom’s basements later in the review.)

Next up to the stage was rapper and long-time friend of Logic, C Dot Castro. C Dot took control of the crowd like a seasoned vet, having them waving their arms back and forth or jumping up and down at will. He made sure to foster that fan/artist connection, coming down to the speakers in the pit and touching hands with fans, and making sure he got to each side of the venue, including coming down into the seats for a part of a song. C Dot has a great style and can mix it up between traditional hip-hop vibes and straight-up rhymes. Check out his latest single “Otherside,” it’s definitely a jam.

Next up to grace the stage was the one and only Juicy J. After moving away from Three 6 Mafia over a decade ago, Juicy J embarked on a solo career of his own winning and being nominated for a host of awards and working with artists of various genres including pop phenomenon Katy Perry. To say that everyone was stoked for his appearance, would be an understatement.

Everyone and I mean everyone was on their feet as the fog started to roll across the stage and green lights swathed over the front of the venue.

A lone DJ was situated at the very back corner of the stage, almost invisible to the eye. Juicy J came out in a straight jacket costume complete with a Silence of the Lambs-style half mask. Whaaat? Yes, he did and he stayed in that costume for his entire set as he zipped, zagged, and zoomed all over the stage. He didn’t stay in one place for long as he got the crowd up and going from the right to the left and the front to the back and over again. Juicy J sounded great as he ran through not only some of his solo stuff but also some Three 6 Mafia tracks to please the old-school fans in the crowd. He had everyone poppin’ as the night grew dark and what a party it was. If you’re heading out to see the tour, do NOT arrive late. Juicy J is not to be missed.

After a short break to prep the stage, it was time for the main event of the evening. Logic! As the lights came up, the setting was revealed. We were in Logic’s mom’s basement, set up how it was when he lived in it, you know back in the day before he became a famous rapper. There was a door with steps leading down into the basement. A couch and coffee table was set up stage right which would play host to several of Logic’s friends who would hang out on the couch throughout his set. There was a desk and chair with a laptop, Logic’s work area where he would work on his early music. The set was extremely detailed with a floor lamp and even a Wu-Tang Clan poster and a Kill Bill movie poster gracing the walls.

“It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood,

A beautiful day for a neighbor,

Would you be mine?

Could you be mine?”

Hell yes! We’ll all be Logic’s neighbor. As Mr. Roger’s theme song plays, Logic makes an appearance, peeping out from behind the door clad in a bathrobe as he makes his way down the steps. Singing the song, he places the robe on a coat rack and acknowledges the crowd. His DJ is situated at the back of the room and before we know it, Logic is off to wake up the crowd with “Wake Up” off his latest album College Park.

From that point on, Logic goes on to show why he is absolutely one of the best in the game. He can rap, rhyme, sing, and freestyle with the best of them and the audience was loving every single minute of it. Hands were pumping, feet were jumping, and the party was on.

His set was 29 songs long, covering the span of his career from 2014’s Under Pressure album to the recent College Park record. The lights varied from bright oranges and reds to moody blues depending on the tune as Logic worked the stage back and forth with a commanding presence. He took a few moments to speak to the crowd intermittently during the concert and always promoted the ideas of peace and love. He said that he wanted this to be a safe environment for everybody even mentioning that if any of the ladies were getting hassled, to let him know. Logic said he would come down there and handle it before laughing that he wouldn’t but his security guards definitely would. He brought out his buddy C Dot Castro for “Lightsabers,” another new tune that fit seamlessly into the packed setlist.

It was an incredible performance that gave fans a chance to hear all their favorites including a few of my own like “Bohemian Trapsody” and “Keanu Reeves.” Nobody wanted the night to end and who could blame them? We were hanging out, singing along with Logic on a beautiful evening in Charlotte and it just doesn’t get any better than that.

The College Park Tour wraps up in Arizona at the end of the month so be sure to check it out when it rolls through your city or town.

See the Full Gallery of the Night!

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