Logic• Juicy J• June 20, 2023• The Union
Reviewed and Photographed by Tomo Crestani
When Logic announced The College Park Tour, many were shocked at the venues he had chosen to visit. After selling out venues all over the country, including the prestigious Madison Square Garden, it was surprising that he went much smaller for this tour. Logic actually ended up explaining why he did this in between songs on stage. Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, (Logic) explained that he missed the more intimate shows. He missed being there with the fans and actually being able to see and interact with his fans. Bringing along Juicy J, the space inside The Union Event Center was very limited. The atmosphere was like no other show I had seen at this venue before.
I always have high praise for The Union. However, I did have a small mishap with two of the security guards. I received my photo pass the same way I always do and proceeded to the front right before Juicy J’s set. But for the first time ever, the security guard gave me a funny look. He told me I wasn’t going to be allowed through to shoot the show. I ended up missing a majority of Juicy J’s set trying to find someone to help me get where I needed to be. I finally was able to talk to the Head of Logic’s security, who was very kind and helpful. He told the security guard that had originally turned me down that I was allowed to take photos at the front of the stage.
Before Logic’s set, I decided to go to the other side where there was an easier gap to get to the front. As I reached the front, I was once again told I didn’t have the correct pass and turned away by a second security guard. I couldn’t afford to miss Logic’s set. So I told her I needed to talk to the head of security again. Once I got to the front, all the security knew what they were doing and let me do my job.
I am not completely sure which staff members were working for Logic, and which were working for the venue. The communication between the two did end up putting a damper on the night for a few moments. Both the head of security for Logic and the venue ended up being very kind and helpful.
These problems aside, The Union did put on a great show. They were a very fun place to watch an artist as big as Logic. I have been wanting to see him live for many years now. As I said before, the crowd made it an incredible atmosphere for a concert. The Union is one of my favorite places to see my favorite artists.
As the first DJ took the stage, he did an excellent job getting the crowd ready for Juicy J. Juicy J had incredible energy on stage. He was wearing an untied straight jacket, which was a super cool wardrobe choice. It added an edge to every song he performed that was connecting really well with the crowd. Wardrobe is an underrated aspect of a performance in my opinion, and Juicy J capitalized on it perfectly. As his set came to a close, he performed his hit song with pop star Katy Perry, “Dark Horse”. It was one of the funnest songs I have experienced live. The entire crowd actually knew every word of the song. It wasn’t the type of crowd you would expect to know the words to a Katy Perry song, but Juicy J’s feature and the popularity of the song was clearly helping everyone sing every word.
After Juicy left the stage, the next DJ came onto the stage to get us ready for Logic. He explained he had a hand in many of Logics projects and is a very close friend of Bobby’s. One thing I really enjoyed was the fact that he played multiple Logic songs that he knew didn’t make the setlist for the show that night. I have never really seen a DJ do this before, and I personally thought it was a really cool addition to the show.
Once his DJ had the crowd ready, Logic walked onto the stage with a huge smile on his face. His stage was one of the coolest sets I have ever seen at a concert. It was set up as if you were in his own home watching him perform. He had movie posters and other household items placed all over the stage. He explained that the couch on the stage was the actual couch he had slept on years ago when he was basically homeless. Bringing along such a large artifact from his story and rise to fame was possibly my favorite part of the night.
Logic is one of the most incredible rappers I have ever seen. His flow and lyrical talent are unmatched. He has an incredible way of performing his songs and making you feel like you are inside the studio with him. This could be due to the fact that he really was diving into the intimate feeling he said he missed when playing bigger shows. The fans in attendance were in for a treat as he played songs from all of his older projects as well as some of the newer ones. All of his classics were on his rather long set. It was the first time I didn’t really feel bored at any time in a 25+ song setlist. He kept the crowd engaged and happy throughout the entire show.
Overall I would highly recommend seeing Logic live. Especially if you are able to see him in a smaller venue than he is capable of. Who knows if he will do this kind of smaller venue tour again. Juicy J is also a show I would tell people to see. He was a great performer with a lot of popular songs you may have forgotten you loved so much. The Union is an amazing venue and this was the first time I really had any type of issue there. I still recommend and love The Union as an event center.
