The energy at the Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta was unmatched on Oct. 23 as fans eagerly waited in line to enter Don Toliver’s concert. In his “Life of a DON” tour, Toliver unveiled the album he had had in the works since the release of 2020’s “Heaven or Hell.”
The new album consists of 16 songs and includes features from Travis Scott, Kali Uchis, Baby Keem, and SoFaygo. It was released on Oct. 8, a little over a week before his Atlanta concert.
Last Sunday’s performance opened with singer and rapper Bia, who engaged the audience and lifted spirits throughout the crowd in preparation for Toliver. She sang well-known hits including “Whole Lotta Money” and “Best On Earth.”
But after Bia’s dynamic performance, fans became frustrated as they awaited Toliver’s arrival. He made his entrance onto the stage a little over an hour after the opening act.
Although energy seemed to dip during the wait, it was at an all-time high as Toliver stepped onto the stage. The audience volume reached a fever pitch as Toliver started the concert off with his hit song “After Party” and then led with two songs off of his first album: “2 Lil Shorty” and “Backend.”
The stage was set up to reflect the ambiance of Toliver’s music, with a collection of objects symbolic to his three albums. Purple and red lights flooded the stage and shone onto the towering mushrooms and a vintage car. Toliver incorporated the set pieces throughout his show by climbing atop them as he sang to the crowd.
Toliver said that even before he released his new album and was nervous about how his listeners would react to it, he always knew his music would make it to the moon. This was his smooth lead-in to his cover of Kanye West’s “Moon.”
During the concert, rumors began to circle about glimpses of rappers Travis Scott, Gunna and SoFaygo up in the VIP seating area. As word spread through the crowd, fans eagerly speculated about whether there would be any guest appearances.
The crowd went wild when all three rappers took to the stage, but the enthusiasm during Travis Scott’s appearance was beyond fathomable. Fans seemed unable to comprehend that an artist as highly regarded and talented as Scott was in front of them performing alongside one of their favorite artists, Don Toliver. Toliver introduced Scott by saying that he had come out to support the release of “Life of A DON” and that he was nothing but grateful for all the encouragement and help he had received from his friend.
Once Scott stepped on stage, all of the attention in the room turned to him and his stage presence drew members of the audience towards him and his music. He sang “Can’t Say,” “Highest In the Room” and “Flocky Flocky,” and many fans were disappointed that he skipped out on his feature in the song “You” off of Toliver’s new album. Some speculated that the song was too slow to fit the vibe of the concert and that Scott’s goal was to build hype.
Off of “Life of a DON,” Toliver sang “What You Need,” “2 AM,” “Drugs N Hella Melodies,” “Swangin’ on Westheimer” and “Smoke,” with a featured verse from Gunna.
Although the album had recently been released, the crowd seemed well-versed on the new songs and lyrics.
Toliver ended the concert off with a bang by singing “Can’t Feel My Legs,” a song off of his second album, and “BOGUS,” one of his newer songs off of “Life of a DON.” Toliver expressed how grateful he was to have been able to perform for his fans in Atlanta and how impressed he was with the energy and enthusiasm in the crowd that night. After a total of 23 songs and three featured artists, fans left the venue feeling on top of the world.