Lil Uzi Vert
Chicago Aragon Ballroom
October 23, 2023
By Kookiee
Photos by Keeton Robinson
It’s been 5 years since the last time Lil Uzi Vert headlined a tour, and on October 23rd, The Pink Tour finally made its way to Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom. Despite being on a Monday, that didn’t stop fans from selling out this highly anticipated event. As the crowd started to fill up the venue, from GA to VIP, many were ready to rave even before the show started.
The Pink Tape Tour kicked off with DJ PForreal, Uzi’s official DJ, who knew exactly what to play for this Chicago audience. DJ PForreal had everyone hyped up during his set when he showed homage to Chicago artists and their songs. The crowd went wild when Chief Keef’s “Faneto” came out blasting. Before walking off the stage, PForreal informed the venue of possibilities of free merch and a possible meet & greet with Uzi.
The stage for this tour was set up almost like a Call Of Duty lobby – a tagged up white van on one side of the stage and a couple of utility poles behind it. Hanging one of those poles was the Pink Tape American flag. In the middle and on the other side of the stage were two building-like props – the square building in the middle had a big PINK neon sign and a drawing of Uzi with a pink future-like motorcycle in front of it, the longer building on the side had a female anime character with two doors beside her – here is where Uzi would make their first appearance in Chicago.
As the suspense builds for the first song to play, appearing on the screen were 3 anime characters asking where Lil Uzi was, which then you hear the response ‘I don’t know, where the f*ck am I?’ from the song ‘Suicide Doors,’ and out comes the high energetic Philadelphia artist, welcomed by the roars of their fans. Uzi wasted no time in jumping into the crowd to show their appreciation for the welcome.
While wearing a yellow striped pajama-like outfit, Uzi owned the stage, moving flawlessly and captivating the crowd. They performed songs from Pink Tape like “x2” and their latest single “NFL”. Uzi then had their first interaction of the night with the Chicago group, saying, ‘I’m not gonna lie, you guys [are] making me feel a whole lot better than I was’ before dropping ‘Amped’.
this show was very much aimed for the long time fans. Uzi made it clear with his many interactions. He even took time out of his set to ask the crowd how long they’ve been fans; which many were fans for about 8 years now. there was even an interaction with a fan who had a dedication tattoo for Uzi which Uzi was amazed by and did not let that fan forget it by making sure they get a picture of the tattoo before the night ends. These interaction lead Uzi to perform many of their throwback hits like “The Way Life Goes”, “wokeuplikethis*”, “Neon Guts” and other Lil Uzi Vert classics. Notably, Uzi also performed “song that change his life: “XO TourLif3”.
Before ending the night, Uzi made a surprising announcement, sharing that they will be dropping “Luv Is Rage 3” and that it will be their last album. Uzi also mentioned wanting to live a normal life after touring for the album. The crowd was initially in disbelief, but then cheers and “UZI” chants filled the venue as the fans show their understanding for their favorite artist’s choice.
The energy inside the Aragon was off the charts, and the crowd showed their love and support for Uzi throughout the whole night. As the show was coming to an end, Uzi had no issue displaying his gratitude towards his fans as they wiped away tears while “I just wanna Rock” began to play. They then showed off their “just wanna rock” dance moves which made the crowd join in too. Uzi did an encore of “I just wanna rock” where they brought a fan onto the stage to rock out with them. It was the perfect way to end this fan-dedicated show.
Make sure to catch Baby Pluto back in Chicago on December 4th at RADIUS!
