My “4 Your Eyez only” tour experience
As a long time fan of Cole, my first time seeing him live was a moment I’ll never forget.
I’ve been a Cole fan for quite a long time. His 2013 hit single “Power Trip” featuring R&B singer Miguel grabbed my attention and I’ve been addicted ever since. So naturally, when I got the opportunity to see him during his “4 Your Eyez Only” tour in Chicago, Illinois I was very ecstatic to see him.
Initially, Cole wasn’t set to visit Ohio during this tour which completely bummed me out and led me to believe I wouldn’t be able to see him at all. It turned out that I had some family in Chicago that were planning on attending the show as well, so I decided to drive out there and see it with them! He was even playing two nights in a row because of the huge crowd and demand to see him. Unfortunately, one of them was canceled due to border issues in Canada which gave me a scare, leading me again to believe I wasn’t gonna see him.
I left my home early Saturday morning and arrived in Chicago in the afternoon and headed to my aunt’s house (while getting stuck in traffic and lost on the way of course). The show wasn’t starting until 7 o’clock so we caught up over some classic Chicago deep-dish pizza topped with pineapples. When it was concert time, we ended up running late, so, unfortunately, we missed the opening acts: J. Cole’s signees JID, Earthgang, Bas, and Ari Lennox so I was a bit disappointed I wasn’t able to experience that first hand.
Once we arrived at the venue, everywhere I looked, I saw Cole fans of all ethnicities, ages, and backgrounds. I had never been in an environment where I was super comfortable being a Cole superfan before; there I didn’t feel judged and I could proudly represent my favorite artist.
Before the show started, I bought a shirt and headed for our seats. The arena was very spacious which I generally prefer when it comes to concerts, and the stage setup was nothing like I had seen before. There was one stage towards the front (where our seats were and where the opening acts performed) and the main stage was positioned to be in the middle of the arena for Cole.
We waited for a few minutes before the lights finally dimmed and the fans started screaming in excitement, but what I wasn’t expecting was the spotlight to be pointed towards a door near me and my section. Before I had time to process it all, two security guards entered the room with Cole dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit making his way through the rowdy crowd towards the stage.
Fans started rushing towards him trying to touch him and get a picture, and I just stood there in awe, taking the moment in. My friends continued to record the man of the night, and I couldn’t believe I reacted in such a hesitant and fearful way.
He was tall, quiet, yet powerful, and screaming a million words at the same time. By wearing the jumpsuit at the shows, the theme of wrongful incarceration of African-Americans in this country was even more apparent in this era of his music. The songs he was set to perform on that night were even more potent and impactful by reenacting a prison release and wearing the jumpsuit (even the cuffs, which the guards took off before he walked up the stairs to the stage), and made me respect his passion for this issue in America.
The album had more of a somber timbre to it what with the darker topics and stories told, and the mood he set as he walked up on that stage made me feel like I was about to see a play rather than a rap concert.
He starts the show off with the album opener “For Whom The Bell Tolls” one of my personal favorites and one of his most personal songs. The lyrics paint a picture of his mind and the things he’s been through that have him questioning his own sanity and hope. Afterward, Cole takes a moment to speak to the fans, thank everyone for coming, and even cracks a few jokes
He then goes back into the first banger of the album, “Immortal” another favorite of mine. As I danced and recited each word back to him I gained an appreciation for the resonance in an arena full of screaming fans. The way the beat and the band play in a large setting, and bodies present to soak up the sound is an experience like no other. It’s one thing to immerse and listen to these tracks on headphones, or the speakers in a car, but when the artist is in the same room as you the songs will never sound the same ever again.
One thing I greatly appreciated was that throughout the entire show, Cole made sure to interact with the fans. I haven’t been to many concerts in my life, but based on the ones I’ve seen online, a lot of artists don’t interact with the audience at all. This was not the case when it came to this show which I was very grateful for. Cole really made it seem like every conversation was one-on-one and personal; as if he were talking to a good friend of his, not simply a fan.
One segment of the show was dedicated to finding a fan from the crowd to rap one of his old songs word for word to him (talk about no pressure). For the deeper songs, he took a moment before rapping to explain the story and meaning behind the lyrics. For one of his songs, “Neighbors” he explains the true story of how a SWAT team invaded one of his home studios in North Carolina and destroyed some of his property. He caught the entire situation on tape, and he made some hilarious commentary as the crowd watched the video on the big screen as if we were watching a movie.
“Neighbors” is also one of my favorite songs of his, the production on it is so simple yet so remarkable. Cole demonstrates a musical term called backmasking, which is the process of reversing a sound/song to play backward. “During his set, Cole transitioned the end of “Forbidden Fruit” (from his 2013 album Born Sinner) into the intro of ‘Neighbors’ singing: ‘I guess the neighbors think I’m sellin' dope.’ As the first song trailed off, Cole reversed the track’s instrumental into ‘Neighbors’ to show that the beat is the same.” (Genius, 2018)
Once the show, sadly, reaches the end Cole warns the fans that the closing song will be the same 8-minute track finale from the album ”4 Your Eyez Only.” "Therefore," he said, "if you don't want to hear somebody running through some real stuff for eight minutes and really give you a story.... this is your time to beat the traffic." I’m pretty sure someone left, knowing that downtown Chicago traffic really is no joke, and I don’t blame them if they did. But the arena was still full.
And so the legendary story begins with this deep, dark bass guitar delivering a slow tempo. The first few verses are told from the perspective of Cole’s childhood friend, James McMillan Jr (his name was changed to protect and respect his privacy), who was killed at age 22 due to gun violence. McMillian was a father to his daughter Nina, and Cole recites a message to her from her father that he wanted her to know.
In the final verse, Cole and his backup singers repeat the phrase "for your eyes only" to emphasize what Nina needs to savor in this lifetime, and what her father took for granted. Earlier in the album, Cole writes down hints/clues about McMillian’s fear/anxiety that he’s going to die soon and needs to pass down his message to someone to tell for him. “You probably grown now so this song'll hit you. If you hearing this, unfortunately means that I'm no longer with you in the physical. Not even sure if I believe in God but because you still alive. He got me praying that the spiritual is real. So I can be a part of you still, my pops was killed too. So I know how part of you feels. Maybe you hate me, maybe you miss me, maybe you spite me…”
Hearing these words in person, recited like a deep poem, and hearing the pain in Cole’s voice gave me goosebumps. I watched the very last moments of Cole’s powerful words from the top of the stairs towards the exit to beat the crowd rather than the traffic.
I left that show feeling like a completely new person. As repetitive and cliche as the message may seem, I felt I could do anything after that. Nothing and nobody could tell me no. I wanted to be as successful and content with myself and my work as Cole was in just the two hours he performed. I was definitely the only one in my group of friends crying tears of joy (and sadness that it was over) and I walked away from that arena with my mindset focused on my career.
Even with the slower, and deeper songs, there didn’t seem to be a single dull moment during the show. With the occasional jokes, hype songs, meaningful monologues from Cole, beautiful visuals, fun and friendly crowd members, great instrumentation, and constant interaction, that concert was the best one I have ever attended.
