Lil Baby Nashville concert review: 5 moments from his 'It's Only Us' show

Diamond-certified rapper Lil Baby took to the stage on Saturday, Sept. 9 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville as part of his "It's Only Us Tour." The Atlanta rapper and "Pure Cocaine" star, born Dominique Armani Jones, electrified the arena with his quick-paced, visually stimulating show—which featured everything from balls of fire to surprise guest appearances.

Lil Baby's Nashville concert came two days after his show in Memphis, where a shooting at FedExForum left one man injured and transported to the hospital in critical care. As of Friday afternoon, the injured concertgoer is no longer in critical care, according to the Memphis Police Department, who said no one else was injured. The police department, who said the identity of the shooter was unknown, continues to investigate the shooting.

During the incident in Memphis, Lil Baby was whisked off the stage while performing his song "Frozen." In a post from Sept. 8 on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Lil Baby said, "Unfortunately I Couldn’t Perform Last Night In Memphis, Ima Make Sure Everybody Gets A Refund Tho."

During his Nashville show, Lil Baby did not mention the events that took place in Memphis.

Lil Baby's 32-stop tour follows the release of his single "Family Freestyle" and his Saturday Night Live (SNL) musical debut earlier this year. Best known for hits "Drip too Hard" and "Freestyle," Lil Baby's cult following began growing in 2017 when he released four albums in one year.

5 Electrifying moments from Lil Baby's show

Lil Baby's show, which featured five guest appearances and three outfit changes, had no shortage of exciting moments. The concert's high production value, vivid effects and pyrotechnics, and energetic hip-hop dancing left the audience energized and lively. Openers Hunxho and Gloss Up kicked off the night, followed by third opener GloRilla, a Memphis rapper who hit the stage in a camouflage get-up with an entourage of back-up dancers, rapping her fan favorites, like "Blessed."

And then, after projecting a video onto the stage of himself in chainmail riding a white horse, Lil Baby made his entrance. He began with "Stand on it," starting the night off in a denim jacket and jeans, his own trendy take on the classic Canadian tuxedo.

Here are five moments that stole the show.

1. 'Southside'

Lil Baby performed "Southside" as one of his first songs, rapping about his roots: "I'm doing s*** that they wishing they could / I'm the frontrunner, break right through the hood." He stood on a platform with projected cinderblocks and columns of fire. Then, the actual fire arose. Showy fireballs shot from Lil Baby's platform in spurts so powerful that heat was emanating into the audience. Backup dancers lined up in front of Baby's platform, hyping the crowd up further.

2. 'Pure Cocaine' and 'Frozen'

Lil Baby cooled down the vibes with songs "Pure Cocaine" and "Frozen." During his hit "Pure Cocaine," Baby entered onto the stage in a bright red pants and vest combination, dappled with pearls. As snow fell on the screens behind the artist, his outfit almost looked like an extension of the winter weather behind him. He transitioned smoothly to "Frozen," with his background turning from piles of snow to the earlier cinderblocks, now frozen over and covered in icicles, rapping, "Gotta keep my fire under my jacket, it's a cold world."

Lil Baby's electronic backgrounds throughout the concert showed many different natural effects, from blustery snow to fire, waterfalls and lightning-filled thunderstorms.

3. Rylo Rodriguez and Est Gee guest appearances

Rappers Rylo Rodriguez and Est Gee popped in mid-show to perform a few songs. Alabama native Rodriguez walked on stage in a ski mask to perform his hit song "Thang for you" and later returned for "Taylor Port Junkie." He was followed by Est Gee's surprise appearance, a Kentucky rapper known to collaborate with Lil Baby, who performed his song of "5500 Degrees," which features both Lil Baby and Rodriguez. The trio's surprise performance had the audience rapping along.

4. 'For the Night' Pop Smoke tribute

Rapper Pop Smoke's song "For the Night," released posthumously, features both Lil Baby and DaBaby. In 2020, Pop Smoke was fatally shot in Los Angeles, CA and died after his two-year long music career. Lil Baby performed "For the Night," and at the end of the song, quickly flashed the words "Long Live Pop Smoke" on the screen behind him. The crowd cheered in response to Baby's tribute performance and memoriam.

5. Final song 'Freestyle'

Lil Baby started rapping his last song "Freestyle" in silence, with no back-up track or instrumentals. The audience quickly joined in, screaming the lyrics together while lighting up Bridgestone Arena with their cell phone flashlights.

Lil Baby's tour name, "It's Only Us," is aptly titled, as his fans were so locked into him, and every single quick bar and quippy lyric, that naming the performance verbatim after recent album "It's Only Me," would've been amiss. Baby rapped, "What you know 'bout showin' love?" while fans showed him a whole lot of love. The night ended with white smoke bursts and onstage sprays of fire, electrifying the arena.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Lil Baby Nashville concert review: 5 moments from his 'It's Only Us' show