Chance The Rapper Continues Successful 2016, Sells Out Surprise Show In An Hour
While Kanye West gets fashion deals and the Cubs prepare for what will hopefully be their first World Series appearance since 1945, arguably the biggest name in all of Chicago right now is trying to bring as much magic to the Windy City as he possibly can.
Chancelor Bennett, or Chance The Rapper, has had one of the best “rap seasons” in recent memory between releasing the critically acclaimed mixtape Coloring Book this spring, getting the Grammys to consider including mixtapes for their nominations, and performing at the ESPYS last month with a tribute to the late Muhammad Ali. To celebrate his successful year and to pay tribute to his fans, Chance announced — out of the blue, it’s important to note — on Sunday afternoon that he’d be having a concert that night.
SURPRISE!!! SECRET SHOW AT METRO TONIGHT 18+ TIX ON SALE NOW AT @MetroChicago NO ONLINE TIX GET IN THE CAR pic.twitter.com/XvKcaAlfjQ
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) July 31, 2016
Tickets were limited and had to be purchased in person, but that was no problem for the diehard Chance fans who have watched the “Angels” rapper skyrocket to hip-hop popularity. Even with his success, the cherry on top for the 23-year-old rapper may have come in the form of his fan support as the surprise show sold out within an hour.
This, on the same night the Chicago Cubs were finishing off a thrilling, extra-inning comeback over the Seattle Mariners on national TV, no less!
Taking the stage has been a common occurrence for Chance lately, as he showed up at the Lollapalooza Music Festival on Saturday night to perform “No Problem” with Atlanta star rapper Future. But, with the start of his “Magnificent Coloring World Tour” just over a month away, Chance felt like grabbing a mic and performing some of his older hits.
In an article for RedEye Chicago, John Terry may have described the concert better than anyone else could.
“With music journalists and festival-goers running on fumes by the end of the weekend, a Chance show at a venue he hasn’t headlined since May 2013 was too good, fatigue aside, to pass up. In fact, it gave me energy. The line to get in to the show, which was continually spiraling down the block from well before its 10 p.m. doors to his 12 a.m. start time, was asbolutely absurd. I’ve been going to shows at Metro ever since I moved to Chicago and I can’t remember a time when the line was that long and the crowd was that antsy to get in…. There aren’t many artists in Chicago who can steal the Lollapalooza spotlight and get away with it. Lolla is undoubtedly one of North America’s biggest and most lucrative festivals—it had sets from LCD Soundsystem and Ellie Goulding yesterday but the big show people were talking about was undoubtedly Chance’s. This 23-year-old Chicago rapper might be bigger than Lollapalooza.”
If you live in the Windy City and feel bad that you missed Chance, don’t worry — the “Acid Rain” rapper will return to Chicago on September 24 for Magnificent Coloring Day, an event that will take place at U.S. Cellular Field, the home of the Chicago White Sox. Scheduled to join Chance is a list that includes 2 Chainz, John Legend, Lil Wayne, Skrillex, Alicia Keys, Tyler the Creator, and Young Thug.
The “Magnificent Coloring World Tour” is scheduled to start September 15 in San Diego at the CalCoast Credit Union Open Air Theatre and will play throughout North America until finishing with an October 21 performance in San Francisco. After a break of roughly two weeks, Chance will travel to Europe until the end of November, culminating with a show at London’s O2 Academy Brixton on November 22.
Remain on the lookout for more shows being added to the list, however, as Chance has proven to be spontaneous and perform for the fun of it.
