Circular stage with the band in the middle meant everyone got to see Gambino in action from all sides and up close(shirtless with two chains and white pants), making weird faces and groovy interpretive dance a la ‘This Is America’ video. The dancers from the video were there too.
New songs; Atavista, Algorhythm, All Night, Human Sacrifice, Saturday, were an eclectic concoction of neo-tribal-funk, like a cross between ‘Black Panther’ soundtrack and James Brown on acid trip.
Between those and songs from ‘Awaken, My Love!’ album, Bino dropped a few oldies like Worst Guys, World Star, Sober and 3005. Was hoping for Hero or Do Ya Like from ‘Culdesac’ mixtape but that encore Redbone made it all worth it, god damn it.
While the action was right in front of us(I swear he nodded at me during Sweatpants’ hook #fangirlalert), on the ceiling and walls of the 5000 pax-filled semi-spherical tent was an ejaculation of the trippiest 360° live visuals projection we’ve ever seen.
CGI of river cave full of glow worms, giant bonsai trees dancing to the music with the stage in the centre like a bonfire, volcanos erupting with lightning storms and earthquakes, before we’re blasted off into an interstellar flight and crash landed on an alien planet with weirder landscapes and tripping tree gods and lava rivers.
All these in Avatar-like neon fluorescent colors. And to top it off — freaking lasers — went off and bounced off the walls. #jizz
We didn’t smoke any but we’re high AF in that Dome alright.
Outside was Pharos Village with the usual music fest shebang; food stalls, DJ sets, merch, booth for his Adidas shoes collabo Newcastle, and a hipster-zen soul-searching booth(not kidding) and muds everywhere.
The theatre was playing the ‘Guava Island’ trailer, his upcoming film with Rihanna. They were also playing Baraka, Moonwalker and episodes of his show Atlanta.
Donald Glover has come a long way since his comedian days as college jock Troy in ‘Community’ in 2009. He went on and became a multi-award winning writer, director, actor, rapper, DJ, singer, songwriter.
Aside from playing as the young Lando Calrissian in ‘Solo’(the only thing worth watching in the movie), he was also the inspiration for the Afro-Latino Spider-Man, Miles Morales(Spider-verse is the best Spidey movie ever), and as Simba in the upcoming live action ‘Lion King’.
Not too shabby for an artist who got his stage name from the Wu Tang Name Generator.
I’ve put together the Pharos New Zealand playlist, minus the new songs, here: https://bit.ly/PharosNZ
