5 Best Moments From the TP20 Tour’s First Show in NYC

T-Pain kicks off his TP20 Tour to celebrate two decades of his music and achievements. With many notable hits across those 20 years, he’s no stranger to the stage, and his highly anticipated tour kicked off at Radio City Music Hall in NYC on Thursday (Sept. 4).

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Over those 20 years, T-Pain turned himself into one of the most prolific hitmakers of the early 21st century, with 15 top 10 hits to his credit, including three No. 1s: his own “Buy U a Drank” (featuring Yung Joc), and feature appearances on Chris Brown’s “Kiss Kiss” and Flo Rida’s “Low.” His most recent album, On Top of the Covers was released in 2023 and notably did not include Auto-Tune — the pitch-correcting software which he helped make a sonic staple of pop music in the late ’00s — due to the positive feedback he received from singing live without the tool on NBC’s The Masked Singer.

He recently finished his festival run, including notable performances at Coachella, Austin City Limits, Governor’s Ball, and Boston Calling. Since his festival performances, speculation has swirled on what he plans to do next. In June of this year, he announced his TP20 Tour to celebrate his 20 years of being in the music industry. Following this week’s Radio City Music Hall show in New York, the rest of the tour will follow at the end of the month, with shows across the United States.

With tour dates extending through December, anticipation is growing for new music and fans can only wonder what is next for T-Pain. One thing’s for sure: his music legacy is one for the ages, and his TP20 Tour is the best way to honor it. Here are the top five moments from Thursday’s show.

Florida Cars and Palm Trees in NYC

T-Pain opened his show by announcing how he’d brought Florida to New York City. When the curtains were drawn up as he walked onto the stage, there were four classic Florida cars that he shipped up and positioned around many Florida palm trees to set the scene. He playfully joked, “It’s an expensive night for me. We didn’t have to bring all the cars from Florida, but we did.” Throughout the night, he highlighted aspects of Florida that he wanted to bring on his tour and how important they were to him.

Florida and “Florida Adjacent” Guests

T-Pain paid homage to his Florida roots by including many guests who consider Florida home such as Ski Mask the Slump God, 1900Rugrat, Ace Hood, and Denzel Curry. He playfully joked during his set when he told the crowd how he chose his guests — with his wife notably saying “that’s a lot of dudes” — and how, “per our marriage agreement, I’m not allowed to have any girls’ phone numbers.” Then JT from City Girls was added to the tour. He ensured that each guest had a short set to highlight many of their popular songs, including JT performing “JT Coming” and “OKAY.” The “Florida-adjacent” guest was Armani White, who ran onto the stage singing “Billie Ellish.”

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T-Pain’s successful solo career also includes numerous hit collaborations, such as with Kanye West on “Good Life,” Akon on “I’m Sprung” and Chris Brown on “Kiss Kiss.” He performed these songs during his festival run earlier this summer, and fans were thrilled to see him bring them back for his TP20 Tour. When “Kiss Kiss” started playing, the crowd erupted with screams, knowing his hilarious dance moves would accompany the medley that he was about to perform.

Busting Out the Dance Moves

T-Pain busted out the moves during his tour, with the crowd jumping and dancing in excitement alongside him. He playfully poked fun at being “almost 40,” joking that all the singing and dancing had pushed him “past his bedtime.” The crowd roared with excitement as he performed many popular songs he wasn’t originally part of — such as Drake’s “Rich Baby Daddy,” during which he threw it back and twerked to Sexyy Red’s chorus hook in his own T-Pain style, laughing along with the audience’s reaction. The concert was an endless supply of energy and laughs.

Slowing It Down

T-Pain sang “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith as he slowed down his set. The song marked a notable moment in his career, as it was part of his winning performance on NBC’s The Masked Singer in 2019. Many of the judges of the show had failed to guess his identity correctly, impressed by the raw vocal talent he showcased — without the Auto-Tune he had been primarily known for. As he belted out the lyrics on the Radio City Music Hall stage, fans turned on their phone flashlights and waved them in the air, cheering for him endlessly. He received a standing ovation and paused at the end of the performance to soak up the love fans were giving him.

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