Words & Photos by Anthony Abu-Hanna
It’s the end of outdoor concert season here in Connecticut, and what better way to close it out than with T-Pain celebrating 20 years of music? That’s exactly what happened on an unseasonably warm Saturday night at Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater. The venue was packed from the start for a night of great tunes and pure fun.
Amari White opened the show by teaching everyone his breathing exercises—ones he uses to help with his asthma. His stage presence was flawless. He bounced around the stage, getting the crowd fired up and interacting with people in the pit.
Up next was EARTHGANG. Their DJ played 90s pop music to warm up the crowd—a pretty stark contrast to the duo’s Atlanta hip-hop roots. They delivered fan favorites including “WATERBOYZ,” “Bobby Boucher,” and “Top Down.”
Then it was time for the main act. But before T-Pain took the stage, the DJ started pumping the DuckTales theme song. Everyone in the photo pit loved it, including the video camera operator who couldn’t stop laughing.
T-Pain is a world class performer. He was electric from the moment he stepped on stage all the way through to the end—unrelenting and charismatic. The energy never dropped. Not once.
He took fans through a 20-year retrospective of his music, and the setlist was massive. Early hits like “I’m N Luv (Wit a Stripper)” and “Bartender” had the crowd singing every word. “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” brought the house down, and “Booty Work (One Cheek at a Time)” kept the party going strong.
But T-Pain didn’t just stick to his own catalog. He proved why he’s been such a force in music by running through an impressive range of covers. Lil Wayne’s “Got Money,” Gavin DeGraw’s “I Don’t Want to Be,” Flo Rida’s “Low,” DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win,” and even Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” all made appearances. Each one got the same energy and attention as his own songs.
What really stood out was how genuine he was on stage. He wasn’t just going through the motions of a greatest hits tour. He was having as much fun as the audience, feeding off their energy and giving it right back. Twenty years in, and he’s still got it.
If this is how Connecticut’s outdoor concert season ends, we’re already looking forward to next year.
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TheWaster.com | Bridgeport
10.6.25
