Chance the Rapper Brings a Full-Circle Moment to Salt Lake City on the Coloring Book 10th Anniversary Tour
Article written by and Photos by Alec Moody
There are some concerts that feel like more than just another night of live music. Chance the Rapper’s September 29th performance at The Union in Salt Lake City was exactly that for me. As the thirtieth stop of his forty-one-city tour, this night marked a full-circle moment that I never could have imagined when I first saw Chance nearly a decade ago. In 2017, I took myself to his Be Encouraged Tour at the Maverik Center for my eighteenth birthday. I stood front row, watching one of my favorite artists perform from just feet away. Nearly ten years later, I found myself on the other side of that barricade, photographing Chance the Rapper as a member of the media, for my own publication. To experience that transformation while photographing one of my top artists of all time made this show incredibly special before Chance even stepped onto the stage.
The night began with New Orleans, Louisiana artist, producer, and visionary La Reezy, an artist who has been redefining what independence in hip-hop can look like. He and his keyboardist Clay Dough immediately brought an incredible amount of energy to The Union, kicking off his set with “Hot” before transitioning into “Family Bizzy.” Reezy’s performance was packed with high-intensity moments, keeping the crowd engaged from beginning to end. At one point, La Reezy took a moment to shout out all of the women in the audience, thanking them for sticking around with all of the guys they came with before launching into “How Did You Love Me?” Later in his set, following “MOVE,” he made sure to let Salt Lake City know that the crowd had brought the highest level of energy he had seen throughout the tour so far. Coming from an artist who had already performed across dozens of cities on the run, that felt like a pretty significant compliment to the Salt Lake crowd.
Once La Reezy left the stage, the energy didn't have much time to settle. Chance’s longtime friend and group member Peter CottonTale took over the stage, stepping behind the decks and DJing a handful of songs to keep the crowd moving. It was the perfect transition into the main event, with CottonTale continuing to build anticipation before Chance finally emerged.
When Chance came onto the stage, he did so to “All We Got,” and The Union immediately erupted. The room transformed into a frenzy of screaming fans as Chance launched into one of the most recognizable songs from his catalog. For me, being in the photo pit made the moment surreal. During those first three songs, I was doing everything I could to remain focused on capturing the performance while simultaneously trying not to scream the lyrics back at him. That became especially difficult when he performed “Blessings,” one of my personal favorite Chance songs. Photographing an artist whose music has been such a significant part of my life while standing just feet away from the stage was something I had dreamed about for years.
Shortly after those opening songs, Chance took a moment to greet the Salt Lake City crowd and apologized for taking a full ten years to make his way back to the city. Considering my own history with his music and his last SLC performance, that acknowledgment and apology felt worthwhile. One of the most memorable moments of the night came when Chance asked the audience to put their phones away. After acknowledging that everyone had gotten their videos during the previous song, he encouraged the crowd to simply live in the moment with him and his bandmates Peter CottonTale and Stix. He then launched into “No Problem,” giving everyone in the room a chance to experience the song without a sea of phone screens between themselves and the stage. It was a small request, but it made the performance feel significantly more intimate in a room already filled with thousands of people.
Throughout the night, Chance moved through music spanning his fourteen years of releasing albums, giving longtime fans plenty of reasons to celebrate his catalog. However, with this tour serving as a celebration of the 10th anniversary of Coloring Book, the album naturally received plenty of attention. Songs including “All Night,” “No Problem,” “Angels,” “Juke Jam,” “Smoke Break,” “Summer Friends,” and more brought the audience back to the era that helped cement Chance as one of hip-hop's most beloved independent artists.
Adding another layer of nostalgia to the performance was the massive LED screen positioned behind Chance. Throughout the show, it displayed photographs and visual moments from different points throughout his career, allowing the audience to watch his journey unfold alongside the music. At one point, the Coloring Book album artwork appeared across the screen as Chance continued performing songs from the project, creating a visual time capsule for fans who have been following him since the album first dropped a decade ago.
For the final song of the night, I was fortunate enough to be granted permission to return to the photo pit. Chance closed out the show with “Same Drugs,” one of the standout songs from Coloring Book. As the song reached its conclusion, confetti began falling throughout The Union, covering the stage and crowd as Chance brought the performance toward its emotional finish. Unfortunately, the show had reached its allotted time, meaning Chance had to bring the night to an end sooner than anyone in the room wanted.
Before leaving the stage, Chance made one promise to the Salt Lake City crowd: it wouldn't take him another ten years to come back. After waiting a decade for this particular moment, hearing him promise that his next visit would come much sooner felt like the perfect way to close the night.
From beginning to end, the energy inside The Union was electric. But beyond the screaming fans, the confetti, the lights, and the music, what made this night so meaningful was the overwhelming sense of nostalgia that surrounded it.
Some concerts are simply shows. Others become memories that stay with you long after the final song. Chance's Salt Lake City performance was undoubtedly the latter for me. It was everything I could have hoped for from a night celebrating an album that has meant so much to so many people, and it served as a reminder of just how powerful music can be when it follows you through different chapters of your life.
With only five cities remaining on the tour, there's still time to experience this celebration for yourself. If you haven't had the opportunity to relive Coloring Book with Chance the Rapper and experience this incredible anniversary tour, now is the time. Get your tickets before the final curtain falls — and hopefully, unlike last time, we won't have to wait another ten years for Chance to make his way back to Salt Lake City.
