by MJ Peters
Chance the Rapper brought the Coloring Book 10th Anniversary Tour to MGM Music Hall at Fenway on Wednesday night. The gospel rap album was originally released in 2016 and went on to win Best Rap Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards. The album also became the first ever streaming-only album to win a Grammy. One of the album’s singles, “No Problem” is still one of Chance’s most streamed songs with over 524 million streams on Spotify. He opened with “Blessings” and “All We Got”, landing with the kind of communal, hands-in-the-air energy that made the tape a phenomenon in the first place. Chance The Rapper never fails to create an incredibly welcoming environment, in which the entire venue becomes one community.
Chance himself seemed genuinely moved by the milestone, taking a few minutes between songs to talk about where he was in his life when he made the record — a nice touch that kept the night feeling personal rather than nostalgic for nostalgia’s sake. At one point, admitting that he was getting emotional seeing the beauty in the crowd. The stage set up featured colorful backgrounds that complimented the Coloring Book theme. The deep stage at MGM left room for background singers to beautifully harmonize with Chance, perfectly recreating a church choir feeling.
Opener La Reezy set the tone early with a set that leaned on jazz-inflected production and dense, purposeful bars, close in spirit to ’90s New York boom-rap. The 21-year old New Orleans rapper brought a confidence and energy to the stage that got the crowd thoroughly hyped for Chance. He performed songs off his debut album, “Skiddle Bandana”. Stream the album here!
Chicago’s finest, Chance the Rapper, continues his tour on August 25th in Baltimore, Maryland. Visit his website to learn more about how you can see the Coloring Book 10th Anniversary tour, and stream his newest album Star Line!
