Donald Glover, better known as Childish Gambino, definitely has tricks up his sleeve. Known for his rapping career, Glover boasts many talents along with music. He has many more things to come, such as his upcoming acting career. In the last two years, it has become difficult when trying to keep up with Gambino. After disappearing from social media, or any event after 2014 album “Kauai,” Glover suddenly announced a mysterious app named Pharos. The app left fans uncertain of his plans, save for a countdown. The countdown stopped and Glover’s audience beheld Pharos as an upcoming concert in Joshua Tree, California.

Unexpected Nature

Gambino held the event from Sept. 2-4. Fans arrived knowing he would perform his new album, also called “Pharos,” so they thought they knew what was in store. They had no idea. Gambino provided a camping ground, an amphitheater and a dome for everyone to gather and bond over excitement for his music and upcoming FX Network television show Atlanta, which premiered this week. Every fan knew of Glover’s unexpected nature, but once security took cameras or phones and locked them away, fans wondered what he had in store.

Before Gambino came out, a choir entered the stage, and suddenly, everyone knew this was no longer the rapper they knew before. As the music began, it caused the audience to disregard everything they knew about him. Glover came out in a tribal costume, with long cornrows to boot.

Unanswered Questions

Along with the choir accompaniment, visuals all around the dome brought the music to a deeper spirituality. Donald teamed up with Microsoft to make these visuals the highlight of the event. To say that Donald Glover is unexpected is an understatement when it came to his new album. His foundation in hip-hop now turns to a fusion of jazz, funk, soul, blues and still more genres.

Drums, keys, percussion and guitar playing over the choir brought life to the “party dome,” but Glover’s microphone was not loud enough. This upset the crowd, who could not understand half his lyrics, but they stuck with him through the performance and enjoyed the live music. Once the show ended, many questions remained unanswered. Glover said nothing about his reasoning behind Pharos. Regardless, fans who enjoyed Pharos have come up with theories about future releases through the app.

Upon exiting the performance, many fans headed to the amphitheater for a special showing of “Atlanta.” Everyone got a feel for the show, which covers the day-to-day lives of the character Earn, played by Glover, and his cousin, who live in Atlanta. Although set up to be a comedy, more episodes provide a look into Donald’s perspective on life as characters try to survive.

Donald Glover put on an alluring, strange and overall unforeseeable event which left fans on the lookout for his must-listen album and must-watch show.