After having watched a shortened Tierra Whack performance at the Osheaga Music & Arts Festival in Montreal this summer, I jumped at the opportunity to relive the experience at the Red Bull Music Festival in Chicago. Bringing some of the finest artists to their multi-city platform, Red Bull has established themselves as one of the premier forces in furthering the creativity of artists, allowing them free rein to put on the type of show that would usually only exist inside their minds. Tierra Whack is easily one of the most inventive young artists of this generation. If you're unsure of that fact, just re-watch her Whack World visuals and get back to me. The Philadelphia artist has been making strong strides in the rap game, bringing her originality and wacky personality to the forefront of her presentation. On November 26, 2019, Whack created her Whack Factory in the city of Chicago, putting on a special event with the Red Bull Music Festival, and it was seriously a one-of-a-kind night.
Upon walking into the Concord Music Hall, the atmosphere was already set for a display filled with artistic finesse and a celebration of creativity. Old-school televisions were installed in a pyramid, detailing the remainder of the events occurring as part of the festival, and housing custom-made Whack Factory branding at the entrance. Because of the way the venue is built, guests were left waiting in suspense as to how the actual stage would be designed, walking up several flights of stairs before being exposed to the pure mastery of Whack's mind.
Starting off with a hype-up set from DJ SG, the night was already off to a solid start before G.O.O.D Music rapper Valee made his homecoming as a support act. Complete with Chi-Town centric ad-libs and mic-drop moments, the 31-year-old star closed out his set with a casual rendition of "Womp Womp," getting the crowd excited for what was to come.
It didn't take long for Tierra Whack to take over performance duties once Valee wrapped up. In a matter of minutes, she was ready to wow us with her infectious spirit and positive energy. From the moment she stepped on stage in her custom-designed green, white and black outfit, we knew that we were in for a pleasant evening, courtesy of the rising star.
Ringing through a number of hits from her Whack World audiovisual project and her Whack History Month run, the Philly native allowed us into her bizarre brain with an elaborate stage design that included: spinning mannequin legs, glow-in-the-dark elements, an elevated booth for her buddy Zach Whack, and more. Each aspect of her look was carefully curated to fit the tone of the evening. From her flashy make-up to the hanging figures on her outfit, Whack did not let one detail go to waste.
The entire show served as a highlight reel for Whack's material but some of the most touching moments came when she invited a number of her biggest supporters on the stage. This is something that Tierra seems to enjoy, scouring through her social media channels prior to performing to see who is deserving of a warm embrace and a dance break. This time around, Whack invited one woman who knew all the words to "Pet Cemetary," another man who showed off some solid moves, and somebody that she referred to as her biggest fan. Clearly, Chicago is filled to the brim with Whack fanatics.
Perhaps the most impressive moment from the entire display rose from something that wasn't even planned. Walking over to the right side of the stage, Tierra Whack stumbled on some wiring and lost her footing, crashing hard on the ground and denting her microphone. She hilariously needed a minute-long breather to recover before warning her crew to avoid that area. Audience members were initially concerned but when the singer stood up and laughed hysterically, we all recognized the showwoman as a real trooper, adapting to circumstances out of her control and bringing joy to the room.
If you've never seen Tierra Whack in action, you need to get on that pronto. The recording artist has a special creative mind and, with the freedom that Red Bull Music Festival allowed her, she was able to truly shine. Whack Factory was a night to remember for everybody involved.