"I want you to burn this place to the f**king ground.”  That was the fervent command of Childish Gambino, as he set Stage AE ablaze last Monday, during his first performance in Pittsburgh.

 

When he’s not rousing audiences with his acerbic wit and alluring vocals under the alias, Childish Gambino, the multifaceted Donald Glover appears as the humorous Troy Barnes on NBC's "Community," and nurtures his budding talent as a stand-up comedian. 

Maybe it is his experience as an actor, which lent to his seemingly effortless stage presence.  No matter, every aspect of his performance was captivating – from his spry movements owning the stage, to his ornate and often metaphorical lyrics that poured from his lips in a rhythmic frenzy. 

Although Glover has been producing independent rap and hip-hop offerings since 2008 - releasing three albums for free digital download through his website - it was his first commercial album, Camp, which brought him to the indoor venue at Stage AE. 

Released in the latter part of 2011, Camp, is a garish assortment of carefully crafted tracks, which entwine deliberately self-absorbed lyrics with arresting beats that employ a wide array of instrumentation.  It is as though Glover purposely mocks the majority of rappers who feign overconfidence in their rhymes, and yet it’s that provocative and consistently haughty wordplay, which lends to his appeal. 

Glover demonstrated his versatile musical prowess throughout the course of his 16-song set, accompanied by a full band that included a violinist.  Also lending to the theatrical performance was a giant screen overhead, which projected lyrics to some of the more popular tracks from Camp, like “LES” and “You See Me.”  Although visually engaging, the display seemed futile for the packed crowed of devoted fans, which instinctively spouted off the lyrics to each song as though they were reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.  

The predominantly white audience leeched off Glover’s unpretentious swagger, falling into unison with one another when the 28-year-old rapper demanded that the crowd get their hands up in the air during the laid back sing-a-long track, “I’m On It.”  For our systematic efforts, we were rewarded with his soul-clapping remix of John Legend’s “Rolling In The Deep” cover.

The evening swelled to its climax with his final number, “Lights Turned On.”  As the instrumentation began pulsing coyly in the backdrop, Glover delivered yet another directive for the sweat-soaked audience, “When the beat drops I wanna see everybody moving.”  The indisputably gifted performer had given us everything he had - including the shirt off his back, and he expected the same unrestrained passion from his audience.  We were more than happy to oblige.  

As Childish Gambino continues his world tour in support of Camp, you can keep up with all things Donald Glover through his Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Childish-Gambino/201109308841 and his blog http://iamdonald.com/childishgambino.