TI with Chingy Live in Tucson
AVA Amphitheatre
Tucson, AZ
June 29, 2024
It was rapper night at Tucson’s AVA Amphitheatre on a 105 degree hot evening in June. The heat did not deter fans from coming out to greet the rappers as they mouthed the words and sassayed next to their seats. The trap veteran has enough hit songs to satisfy the crowd and satisfy he did.
Chingy, the St. Louis native opened the show with a 45 minute set that set the pace for the night. Chingy had several hits in the early 2000s. He bounded across the stage as he sang, setting the fast-paced, upbeat tone that continued throughout the night.
“I want to say I appreciate ya’ll coming out,” he said. “I appreciate y’all’s support from day one. And I really appreciate the love.” His set started a little past the 8 p.m. start time included original songs as well as a handful of remixes.
At the end of the set, he pulled up several of the fans from the crowd as he began a remix of “Right Thur.” He had the men compete with the women with their dancing skills. He offered each member the microphone to share their name and where they were from. “I wish I could pick everyone but the stage isn’t big enough to fit everyone.”
Probably, the reason why the trap sub-genre of hip hop music is so popular right now is T.I. was an essential part of the first wave of southern rappers breaking into the mainstream music scene back in 2003 with the release of the album, Trap Muzik. It was obvious that the fans in the crowd knew the rhymes by heart as they sang/rapped along to his songs. That said, he took time during the show to rap accapella and really flex his skills.
The sound quality was superb as T.I. arrived on stage. ‘Tip’ managed to yell above the sound emanated from the D.J. He rapped the verses
without missing a word. He danced around the stage wearing all black for the night never seeming to breathe hard. T.I. demonstrated his charisma, throughout the set that he is famous for during his decades-long career.
Perhaps the most enthusiastic moment of the concert came when T.I. declared, “This is the ladies part of the show.” His instruction to “make some noise if you don’t need no man” furnished a ground-shakingly loud response from the fans, the perfect segue into his mega-hit “Whatever You Like.” The energy in the crowd grew exponentially as the set progressed. T.I. said early on that he “loved the energy tonight,” and as he danced around the stage punctuating his lyrics with enthusiastic gestures, he looked like he was having a blast. The more fun T.I.had, the more enthusiastic the crowd became.
T.I. certainly delivered much of what the attendees were looking for: a skillful rapper performing hit songs for an enthusiastic audience.
He closed the strong set by performing his songs: “Bring ‘Em Out,” “Swagga Like Us,” “Live Your Life,” and “What You Know.”
