Tonight is the night! It's a rather cool December evening (by Florida standards) here in Tampa Bay--but don't worry, because things are about to heat up inside the Yuengling Center. It's officially the last night of the US leg of Kehlani's Crash World Tour. The show, along with the Miami stop, was originally scheduled for earlier in August. But Hurricane Debby decided she wanted to take center stage instead. Months later, the delay only heightened the excitement and anticipation--Tonight is not just a concert, but a celebration of Kehlani's fourth studio album "Crash". A passion project born from their love of surfing and music, which captures a new wave of creativity with fun, fresh, and vibrant sounds inspired by the ocean.
For those not familiar with Kehlani's successful and impressive career, they first hit the music scene in 2014 with the release of the mixtape "Cloud 19", followed by numerous albums and projects:
"You Should be Here" (2015), "SweetSexySavage" (2017), "While We Wait" (2019), "It Was Good Until it Wasn't" (2020) "Blue Water Road" (2022), While We Wait II (2024). One could describe Kehlani's music as R&B highlighted with soulful undertones, but as new creative influences trickle in, and their artistry evolves, there is no one particular genre Kehlani chooses to reside in.
With the center energized and fully packed to the brim, Anycia and Destin Conrad kick things off for the evening. Bringing their unique styles and talents to the stage, both are accomplished in their own right with numerous successful projects to their names. Anycia, a rapper from Atlanta, wins the crowd over instantly with her cool vibe, funny banter and undeniable talent, performing her 2024 hit track "Back Outside" featuring rapper Latto. Tampa born R&B artist Destin Conrad, a long-time friend of Kehlani, performs songs from past projects as well as new material. His island inspired song "Luv N Devotion" and smooth vocals really gets the crowd moving. He is currently working on his debut album, and is one to keep an eye on.
The stage is draped in a white curtain, transparent enough for a blue light to shine through. The sound of a heart-pounding drum solo vibrates through the walls of the Yueling Center, intertwined with an electric guitar riff that elevates anticipation. Kehlani's voice echoes throughout the arena, and the band plays the opening notes of "Next 2 U" as the curtain drops on the beat. Wearing a chic all black ensemble featuring a fitted long sleeve top, silver necklace, mini-skirt embellished with a large silver belt, and below-the-knees boots, Kehlani stands powerfully while commanding the elevated stages as they start to sing. Making their way down the steps singing "Groove Theory", the crowd is on its feet and singing along with every word.
The night was nothing short of an epic musical journey. Kehlani guided us through re-imagined mash-ups, rock infused guitar riffs, powerful ballads, and songs that had the entire crowd singing and dancing. In Kehlani's playful words "I'm singing old sh*t, new sh*t, red sh*t, blue sh*t we're singing it all".
In addition to captivating us all with their vocals, Kehlani is also an extremely gifted dancer and shows this off effortlessly the entire night along with five other fantastic dancers. Powering the sound from the stage are three incredibly talented musicians: Matty Spatola, on a baby blue and white Fender Telecaster, Rico on an awesome drum set, and Dr. O on a sick set of multiple keyboards.
Kehlani's charisma truly shines through as they create an intimate connection with the crowd, engaging us on mental health, cracking jokes about the after party, and praising Tampa's valiant effort to almost getting all the lyrics right on Chance the Rapper's verse on "The Way". Adding to the night was singer songwriter Jordan Adetunji, surprising the crowd and performing his hit song ‘KEHLANI’ with Kehlani alongside.
As the night continues, Kehlani plays a stream of hits, including "Night like this", "Distraction", an acoustic version of "Honey", and a cover of Bruno Mars's hit song "Marry You". But the grand finale was reserved for the smash hit "After hours" off the "Crash" album. The song starts off with a spotlight on Kehlani and two dancers, in a slowed down sultry rendition that explodes into the iconic beat drop sampled from the 2004 hit "Move Ya Body" by Nina Sky. The entire arena is on its feet soaking in the last few moments of this truly remarkable show, and leaving us with joy and excitement well after hours.
And, like a wave to the shore coming back for more, Kehlani's Crash World tour will continue on in mid-January, reaching global audiences in Europe, the UK, Asia, and Australia, with a final show in Honolulu, HI.
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