Wale Brings His "Wow... That's Crazy" Tour, And Powerful Emotions, To The Fonda

LOS ANGELES, CA- Late last year, the Grammy-nominated, hip-hop artist dropped his latest album, “Wow … That’s Crazy”. In my humble opinion, it’s a step up from his 2017 album “Shine” as Wale’s lyricism really seems to shine throughout the 15 track listen. Backed by some really solid production, there a real sonic groove for the 50 minutes listen. The songs on this album that really stand out are those which really seem to dive deep into his state of mind like “Cliche” and “Expectations”. Those more downtempo cuts really give Wale a chance to wax poetic on his romantic emotions. There are other moments when he delves deeper into his personal state of being (like in “50 in Da Safe”), but he only brushes the surface. Perhaps, we get a more introspective look into Wale’s state of mind in the next effort?

Wale brought “Wow… That’s Crazy” to Los Angeles, playing to an eager and adoring crowd at The Fonda. The audience was filled with people of all ages, a testament to the kind of reach his music has. When he stepped onto the stage, I saw him wearing Kobe Bryant’s signature line of kicks to pay respect for the legend that had recently passed away. As soon as he started vocalizing, his soothing serenades and effortless flow hypnotized the crowd. The whole room swayed back and forth to the beat, with Wale as the snake charmer and us like the snake.

Wale closed his eyes and then all of a sudden Miguel’s distinct vocals began to play from a recording as he embraced the immense roar of excitement from the crowd. Everyone instantly knew that the platinum-selling single “Lotus Flower Bomb” was coming. The love for this song was evident with the instrumentals rarely being played, and Wale letting the crowd sing their hearts out throughout the entirety of the song, ending with a chant of “Wale” that continued to echo throughout the venue.

Long time friend and musical collaborator Eric Bellinger surprised the Fonda by joining Wale on stage to play several of their hits including the ubiquitous “G.O.A.T 2.0”. This was not the only surprise Wale had for his fans as he paused the show to Facetime 6lack. Not falling for this trick, the crowd instantly revealed his plan and began to chant for 6lack to come out from the wings of the stage. Wale, with a huge grin on his mouth and his surprised foiled, welcomed 6lack to the stage and together they performed their new song “Expectations.”

Towards the end of the show, Wale faked the ending of his show as he walked off stage only to bring out his friends and family to join him the festivities. Chase Young, predicted top-three pick for the NFL draft, and Eric Bellinger came back to the stage to perform the song “On Chill”, which was a good thing too as I’m pretty sure most of the room was anticipating it. Wale then gave the mic to Chase Young to give him a moment to spit some bars, which he surprisingly rattled of multiple verses of the song. My heart was warmed for the rest of the night with Eric Bellinger taking over Jeremih’s part of the songs which he covered beautifully.

Closing the show, he expressed his gratitude for his supporters, managers, and friends that came out to the show, dedicating his performance to Kobe Bryant, saying how much he really needed the crowd that night. In reality, it was everyone in L.A. that needed Wale to escape reality for a few hours. During the show, he got the crowd to chant “Kobe” and urged everybody, with the Mamba Mentality, to strive to be legendary. Healing through music, and Wale was the doctor.

Follow Wale as he finishes his WOW THAT’S CRAZY tour in the U.S. in Atlanta and Charlotte. Overseas, make sure not to miss the recently announced continuation of his tour in Europe.

Follow Wale on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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