Last night, T.I. took the stage at the McAllen Convention Center for the first big concert to be hosted at the venue. And while T.I. cranked out all his hits to perfection, venue troubles put a damper on the evening.
Minutes before the prison-bound rapper belted out hits and older songs alike, organizers asked front section concertgoers, who at $97 per ticket paid the highest to attend, to step back, prompting all to boo the announcer. WATCH THE VIDEO HERE.
About 30 minutes after he was scheduled to get on stage, T.I. finally arrived much to the excitement of the patient audience, whom in their somewhat lengthy wait had lost some of the fire instilled into them by opening acts Future and Chingo Bling.
On stage for a little over an hour, T.I. worked the crowd with masterful skill, performing songs like "Live Your Life" and "What You Know."
And as he prepares to serve a one year sentence for weapons possession, T.I. also took a minute to express his appreciation to his loyal fans, saying "I just want to thank ya'll out there for ya'lls support."
If the concert did anything, it proved exactly how T.I. continues producing chart-topping hit after chart-topping hit. He knows what people like: a good time. That's exactly what he delivered. At one point, during the song "Swing Ya Rag." T.I. asked all audience members to remove their shirts and (fittingly) swing them. WATCH THAT MOMENT AND MORE HERE.
He tried his best to not let the venue's awkward seating set up ruin the energy. Most rap concerts require a venue that allows the artist to easily interact with the audience and allow audience members to interact with one another in their music bliss. The Convention Center just didn't have that. The constant insistence from organizers that audience members stay in their assigned seats didn't allow them to get as energized as they would have in another space.
Above all, the (self-proclaimed) King of the South showed that even a less-than-ideal venue can't stop him from ruling South Texas for one night.
