T-Pain
Mansion In Wiscansin Party Tour
713 Music Hall
May 29, 2024


Ten years ago, T-Pain performed on NPR's Tiny Desk series, and the music world went nuts. We always knew he was a good performer, but to sing a set without the assistance of the digital audio processing tool called AutoTune was a revelation. "People thought [AutoTune] was what was making my songs" he told NPR in a later interview. "No, you still have to make good songs! You can't just throw on Michael Jordan shoes and think you're going to be the best basketball player of all time."

Last night at 713 Music Hall, T-Pain proved his point to a venue that was packed from the floor to the balconies with adoring fans. Houston is the first stop on his current "Mansion In Wiscansin Party Tour," the intentional misspelled name stemming from a lyric in his 2008 hit "Can't Believe It."

As he appeared center stage in a colorful circus ringleader outfit, the energy around the venue buzzed in anticipation. Classical strings opened the set, something T-Pain calls "fancy music," which was also accompanied by electronic hi-hats, claps, and 808s for fun and interesting interludes throughout the show.
"Are y'all ready to step into my house party?" T-Pain asked the crowd. "This isn't a normal house, this is like a somewhat crazy Diddy house!" he joked. "Well maybe not THAT crazy. On the scale from 1 to Diddy, we might be at a 1."

The first song of his setlist was "Up Down (Do This All Day)," which set the mood for a wild ride for the next couple of hours. When T-Pain debuted in the mid-2000s, it seemed as though every other hit on the radio had him on the hook. Last night was a testament to his genius as the crowd sang every lyric of his set, elevating this show to an early contender for "concert of the year."

Michael Jackson's "PYT" was next, which transitioned into "Good Life." By this time, Pain had shed the ringleader jacket and top hot, and was fully popping and locking and running around the stage like a man with something to prove. "Got Money," "Booty Wurk," and "I'm Sprung" followed, and I was mentally transported back to that crazy time in my late 20s after college when clubbing was actually something I did on a regular basis.
The litany of artists that T-Pain has collaborated with reads like a Hall of Fame of Hip-Hop greats: Lil Wayne, Pitbull, DJ Khaled, Kanye West just to name a few. Last year, T-Pain released his "On Top Of The Covers" album, and it was so cool to hear some of those songs last night too. He had the crowd singing along to "Don't Stop Believin," "Stay With Me," and "Tennessee Whiskey" at the top of their lungs... It was so beautiful.

After those covers, it was time to get lit once again. At this point, it seems like somebody flipped on the "Bass Boost" switch because you could feel every note that rand though the venue's sound system. T-Pain did take some time to tell the crowd a story about the dark times in his life, dealing with depression and past due bills. One bill collector once told him "I thought you was supposed to be the rich and famous T-Pain?," to which he replied "Yeah, I thought so to." He credits his turn around of life to belied in himself, belied in God, and the help of his family.
As the evening came to an end, he led the audience in singing "Can We Talk" by Tevin Campbell, which transitioned into "Can't Believe It". The final song was "All I Do Is Win" where everybody's hand went up!...

.... And they stayed there!