By May 2, 2024
Photo: Kurt Shackelford / CLTure
Touching down in Charlotte for the opening night of his Spend The Night Tour, the fast-rising alternative hip-hop/rock singer/rapper, Teezo Touchdown, scored a sell out for his first headlining show at The Fillmore. The 31-year-old’s 25-song set featured an equal mix of his many collaborations, singles, and nearly every song from his 2023 debut album, How Do You Sleep at Night.
Before the Beaumont, Texas native’s near 90-minute set, Annabelle Kline of the independent music curation company, That Good Shit, warmed up the crowd with a DJ set. The garb of the young audience that flooded the venue early with lines stretching down Hamilton Street matched that of Teezo, donning black and metallic tones with safety pins in their hair, chains, and piercings.
Following a surprise appearance at Coachella, for his collab with Doja Cat, “Masc,” Teezo returned to North Carolina after a successful five-show European run. He performed at Dreamville Fest in early April and has made himself familiar with Charlotte opening for Tyler, the Creator in 2022 and Travis Scott in October. Teezo joked early in his set about taking a tumble on stage at Dreamville Fest, and many fans that were at the Scott show may remember his extremely short and abrupt opening set.
Tuesday night was of course much different, as he took centerstage for his first solo jaunt. Opening with a filmed sit-down interview projected on stage elaborating on the creation of his latest album, chants for Teezo bellowed through the venue as he walked out wearing one of his signature looks: a white tank top, a pair of blue jeans, and black studded belt.
“Now tonight, I’m going to walk you through my journey,” Teezo said as his body glitter shimmered in front of a graffiti-filled white garage backdrop, a staple in his early music videos. Starting with his 2020 singles, “Careful” and “SUCKA!,” he reeled the crowd in, following up with the live debut of “100 Drums,” one of his earliest tracks rapping over a live rendition of Panic! At the Disco’s “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.”
Teezo’s eclectic mix of emo, alternative, and hip-hop stylings may confuse some new listeners, but that’s a big part of his appeal. Sporting full-sized football shoulder pads with nails protruding from all sides, holding his patented flower bouquet-decorated microphone, the show felt equal parts rock and hip-hop. With his impressive big name collab-heavy catalog, Teezo performed the hits “You Thought” (featuring Janelle Monáe), “RUN IT UP” (featuring Tyler, the Creator), and “MODERN JAM” (featuring Travis Scott).
Aided by the ongoing sit-down interview throughout his set, which provided short breaks for the audience, Teezo also had multiple outfit changes. The rapper’s transitions between songs featured both crowd-engaged chants, as well as literal stomps from Teezo himself to start and stop tracks. Despite not having a live band, the set did offer intricate light production and a variety of colorful backdrops illuminating the 25,000-square-foot venue.
Towards the end of the show, Teezo pump-faked the audience pretending “7969 Santa,” his feature on Drake’s 2023 album, For All The Dogs, would be the finale, but came back out for an encore.
He followed with two bonus tracks from his deluxe release, How Do You Sleep At Night? With You: the old school R&B-tinged “Up and Down” and the West Coast G-funk era influenced, “Third Coast.” As the clock struck 10 p.m., Teezo worked through the anthemic “5 O’Clock,” leading into the Run-DMC-sampled “Rock Paper Strippers,” as the crowd loudly echoed the hook.
His debut headlining tour stop was intriguing to say the least. The budding Texas artist showed many facets of his crowd-engaging repertoire and range as an artist. With several industry co-signs under his studded belt and multiple major festival appearances slated between 2024 tour dates, it’s shaping up to be a landmark year for the fast-ascending rap/rock star.
Setlist:
“Careful”
“SUCKA!”
“100 Drums”
“Strong Friend”
“Mid”
“Social Cues”
“Technically”
“I’m Just A Fan”
“OK”
“You Thought”
“UUHH”
“Sweet”
“Impossible”
“Neighborhood”
“Mood Swings” (Instrumental)
“Too Easy”
“Familiarity”
“Nu Nay”
“RUNITUP”
“MODERN JAM”
“7969 Santana”
“Up and Down”
“Third Coast”
“5 O’Clock”
“Rock Paper Strippers”
Read next:
