Concert Review: Chance the Rapper at Moody Amphitheater
The Chicago rapper turned Moody’s Austin crowd into a church choir by revisiting tracks from his seminal and aptly vibrant 2016 mixtape for his ‘Coloring Book Anniversary’ tour.
Written by Valeria Mota
Photos courtesy of Kevin Garner
The Moody Amphitheater filled up slowly on the Sunday afternoon of September 13. Fans trickled in wearing comfortable clothes, casually chatting with their friends as the Austin sunset painted itself over them. The audience didn’t seem to have much in common with each other, but one small accessory revealed their major similarity: a hat with a slanted number three on it, the iconic merchandise released by the headlining act of the night, Chance the Rapper.
Ten years ago, Chicago native Chance the Rapper was on top of the world. The artist, born as Chancelor Johnathan Bennett, became widely respected as an independent hip-hop artist who consistently chose artistic freedom over record deals, allowing him to constantly reinvent himself across his first three mixtapes. He struck Grammy gold with his third mixtape, 2016’s Coloring Book; the diverse and optimistic project garnered extensive critical and commercial acclaim, eventually becoming the first streaming-only project to win Best Rap Album at the 2017 Grammys and two other awards at the ceremony. From there, Bennett skyrocketed into the mainstream, but the rapper’s following two efforts, studio albums The Big Day and STAR LINE, were met with mixed reactions by listeners and critics alike, leaving his fans questioning whether Chance the Rapper’s creative lyricism and production was abandoned in 2016.
Now, a year after the release of STAR LINE and ten years after the release of Coloring Book, the independent artist is taking a North American victory lap with the ‘Coloring Book Anniversary’ tour, reconnecting with the songs that initially made him a mainstream success. While his most recent albums may not have showcased his full potential, his one-night only show in Austin, Texas, proved that Chance the Rapper still has the same artistic ambitions he had a decade ago.
The tour’s opening act, New Orleans native La Reezy, promptly entered the stage at 7:00 p.m. with a contagious energy that only increased as his tight 40-minute set continued. Born Khayree Salahuddin, the freshly turned 22-year-old rapper delivered articulate lyrics with an impeccable gusto, unfazed by the crowd who didn’t know his lyrics. It wasn’t long before the Moody audience fell in love with Salahuddin’s energy as he pranced around the stage and seamlessly integrated stories between songs, punctuated by DJ ClayDough’s piano interludes. After barreling through several tracks from his debut album, Skiddle Bandana, Salahuddin got the crowd fully on board with over-the-top performances of “Gold Chains,” “Move,” and “We Live.” The rapper even took his shirt off, announcing that it was the first time he did that during a show, only endearing him to the crowd further. In less than an hour, La Reezy created a strong impression on the Austin crowd as an up-and-coming talent, fully achieving his proclaimed goal of getting the audience’s “blood flowing before Chance the Rapper.”
The main event began at 8:18 p.m., with Bennett opening the show with the first track of Coloring Book, “All We Got.” Though the rapper shouted rather than sang the lyrics, he didn’t need to do much heavy-lifting; the crowd practically sang the entire song for him, setting the nostalgic tone for the rest of the night. Supported by his peers from The Social Experiment, music director Peter Cottontale and drummer Greg Landfair Jr., Bennett channeled an angelic energy with the Jamila Woods-assisted “Blessings,” eliciting communal goosebumps as he exclaimed the song’s mantra: “It seems like blessings keep falling in my lap.”
Though the night was centered on celebrating the rapper’s third mixtape, the artist also took time to perform “Ride” and “Tree” from his newest studio album, STAR LINE. It was fairly obvious the crowd wasn’t very aware of the songs, but Bennett’s enthusiasm along with Cottontale and Landfair Jr.’s jazzy touches — and the lyrics displaying on the background screen, a clever way to have fans engage with the newer tracks — made up for the audience’s lack of familiarity. Yet the instantly recognizable hums of “Summer Friends” re-engaged the crowd to the magic of Coloring Book. The backing screen displayed clips of Chance the Rapper’s career highlights from 2016, which served as a perfect addition to an already sentimental night. Bennett’s growing zeal for the song was elevated by Landfair Jr.’s stellar drum fills, sealing the drummer’s performance as a highlight of the set.
After a quick but warmly received performance of the first half of the punchy “Angels,” the Chicago native took time to formally introduce himself to the audience after admitting that he had just been “rapping and not talking” so far. After expressing his love for Coloring Book, he asked the audience to “turn up with [him]” for the rest of the night, which proved to be the perfect segue into the club anthem “All Night.” Though the studio version is powered by producer Kaytranada’s signature synth production, Cottontale’s crisp tambourine and deep bass along with Landfair Jr.'s intricate fills ultimately made the song one of the most instrumentally rich songs of the night.
After “All Night,” Ha Ha Davis’ ad-lib for “No Problem” played, and that was all it took for the crowd’s fervor to skyrocket. Bennett and his backing band hadn’t even started performing and the audience had already launched directly into yelling the song’s opening chorus. Chance the Rapper finally settled the crowd down and took a moment to appreciate them, along with the city of Austin, before he asked the crowd to put down their phones for the actual performance of Coloring Book’s biggest hit. The audience happily obliged — though some attendees ultimately couldn’t resist recording the song — and bounced along with Bennett as streamers exploded from the stage into the amphitheater lawn. Not only did the crowd’s engagement make for a positive experience, but the artist’s spirited rapping proved that he still has the same passion 10 years later.
The stage got dark for the broody “Mixtape,” which contrasted with the upbeat preceding renditions. Landfair Jr.’s drums heightened the song’s swagger, making the live version feel like a supervillain theme song. The track was cut short and followed with a performance of Bennett’s political track, “I Might Need Security.” The rapper encouraged attendees to put their middle fingers up before launching directly into the track’s assertive lyrics. The crowd was more acquainted with the 2018 single than the following STAR LINE track, “The Highs & The Lows,” though they quickly caught on to the song’s catchy chorus.
What made Chance the Rapper’s Austin set stand out, however, was how he left room for spontaneity throughout the set. After wrapping up “The Highs & The Lows,” Bennett launched into a quick freestyle, touching on subjects like Austin, his friends, and his tour. “Sometimes you gotta step outside the setlist and just look at people,” he said before showering the audience with appreciation. He then made a promise that would quickly be fulfilled later in the night: “By the end of the night, we gon’ be a choir!” The choir rehearsal began right then and there as the artist got everyone to sing the chorus of Ms. Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” and USHER’s “My Boo” as a “vocal exercise.” Before this moment, the Moody crowd was fully engaged in the show; after that, they became proud members of Chance the Rapper’s faithful choir.
Bennett continued the set with the Future-assisted “Smoke Break,” pulling out a big autotune microphone for what he called “the best part of the show.” The rapper milked the mic for all that it was worth, repeating lines throughout and exaggerating his vocals. Though the Austin heat was clearly getting to him — his forehead was lined with beads of sweat — Bennett was evidently enjoying himself. He continued to use the microphone for one more song, the sentimental “Juke Jam,” though the autotune didn’t impede his soulful vocals. At Bennett’s suggestion, the crowd put up their phone lights for the majority of the song, making the already reminiscent track feel even more wistful. Bennett brought out fellow Chicago rapper Towkio to sing the song’s chorus and Justin Bieber’s sultry verse, but he was drowned out by the audience belting out the chorus.
The tone of the show pivoted when Bennett returned to his original microphone and blasted the star-studded 2017 hit, “I’m the One.” The artist mostly swayed for the poppy chorus, but still delivered his verse effortlessly, resulting in one of the more wholesome moments of the night.
The set swiftly returned to the more romantic mood set by “Juke Jam” as Bennett introduced “Link Me In The Future,” which he hailed as “one of [his] favorites” from STAR LINE. Bennett mentioned that though the tour was to celebrate Coloring Book’s 10-year anniversary, it was also the one-year anniversary of the 2025 studio album. After giving a shameless plug for STAR LINE, Bennett delivered a passionate rendition of the track, stumbling slightly on the last verse as emotions got caught in his throat, making it gratifying to see the genuine love that he put into the project.
Following “Link Me In The Future,” Chance the Rapper finally completed his mission of turning the audience into a full-blown choir with Kanye West’s “Ultralight Beam.” Bennett only performed his featured verse from the track, but Landfair Jr.’s cymbal fills and Cottontale’s backing track gave the pensive track a Chance the Rapper twist, making the track fully his own and garnering chills in the crowd as they shouted his verse alongside him. The artist closed the track by repeating the opening verse of the set’s opening track, “All We Got,” three times, further engaging the audience with the more heartfelt rendition of the song’s start.
The gospel-like “Ultralight Beam” followed by the spontaneous repetition of “All We Got” easily united the crowd, and The Social Experiment track “Sunday Candy” only heightened that sense of community. The appropriately sweet track was made even sweeter when Chance the Rapper gave fans at the barricade to sing the chorus, with three of them confidently belting off-key and another being reduced to shocked tears. The night’s contagious positivity continued with the two-part “Finish Line / Drown,” where Bennett impressed concertgoers with his breath control and his version of featured rapper Noname’s verse.
Before the artist sang the second song named “Blessings” on Coloring Book, Bennett took some time to share his prayers with the crowd, confessing how he prays for their safety and enjoyment. He intimately shared how he prays for God to “work through [him] before [he] gets on stage every night” and makes sure that he always takes some time “to worship” during his shows. “I prayed that y’all leave knowing my God,” Bennett reflected before transitioning into the equally religious “Blessings.” It has never been a secret that Chance the Rapper is a practicing Christian, but the moment of reflection and the heartfelt performance that followed it was wholly respectful, earning him finger snaps from various people in the audience.
The concert switched gears once again as Bennett launched into performing songs from his 2013 mixtape, Acid Rap. The sincere “Everybody’s Something” doubled its encouraging message with Cottontale’s ingenious piano, and Landfair Jr.’s creative drum fills tripled the hyped energy for Bennett’s performance of Acid Rap’s biggest hit, “Cocoa Butter Kisses.” The rapper might not have sung either track in its entirety, but the fervor he imbued to each rendition was enough to pay homage to his second mixtape.
Chance the Rapper took a final chance to promote STAR LINE after an uplifting performance of “Pretty” before smoothly moving into a fragment of “D.R.A.M. Sings Special,” emphasized by Cottontale’s recorded string section. Bennett thanked the crowd and walked off the stage, but the wait for an encore was extremely short-lived. The piano intro for the yearning “Same Drugs” elicited some of the loudest cheers of the night. “It’s been 10 years!” Bennett exclaimed as the background screen displayed another highlight reel from artists career during 2016, further heightening the show’s overall nostalgia. “Don’t forget the happy thoughts / All you need is happy thoughts” he sang along with the crowd. The hopeful track ended the show on a touching note, with the exploding streamers from the stage weaving in an additional touch of magic as the set concluded at 9:56 pm.
In a little over ninety minutes, Chance the Rapper reminded fans of his innate talent of capturing lightning in a bottle. He first achieved it with Coloring Book, boldly mixing features and genres — now, he’s doing it across 38 different cities for a ten-year celebration. With vibrant performances and a palpable love for his music, Bennett effortlessly towed the line between nostalgia for the past and optimism for the future, reinforcing the fact that he should still be considered as a borderline magical — and of course, colorful — force in hip-hop.