KHALID AT THE SPECTRUM CENTER IN CHARLOTTE

As I approached the Spectrum Center Wednesday night, the massive line of people waiting before the doors opened for “The Free Spirit Tour” came into view. It wrapped all the way around the arena. The young artist drew a demographic of buzzing teens and young adults ready for an epic show. After being escorted to the photo pit to shoot Clairo, the support act, we saw the stage crew wrapping up her equipment and wheeling it away. Unfortunately she had decided not to come out and perform and addressed the incident later on Twitter, attributing it to “mental health reasons”. I’m sure any of her fans would rather her take care of herself, and on a positive note she will be back in the area on her own tour in November.

The high energy music before the show got the crowd in the pit hyped up before Khalid made his appearance on stage and the entire arena roared. All smiles, he came out and looked out into the crowd kind of taking it all in. He kicked off the night with several songs from his latest album, “Free Spirit”, and then the night continued with hit after hit that had very smooth transitions.

His production was amazing, the large back and overhead screen paired with an LED stage floor made for some wicked immersive visuals. The lights on either side accented the stage well and the LED strips that bordered the screens made for some cool effects. There was also a fringe curtain that would roll out during more serious songs that created the feel of a room or big box on stage. Khalid was also accompanied by a talented group of dancers who had their share of wardrobe changes and who were spotted lit throughout the night.

There was a moment about three quarters into the set where he took a break and we were shown a montage with him narrating the making/ meaning of “Free Spirit”. It was a nice moment, however, I think it could have been made about a minute shorter because he started to lose his audience towards the end. Khalid returned with some slow songs such as “Self” and “Alive” that seemed to refocus the crowd. Overall it was a fun show, if you decide to go see it I would recommend going with friends so you can sing the words to each other and have fun dancing.