Since 2016, the California-born entertainer Anderson .Paak has seen a meteoric rise to musical superstardom. Beginning as a hip-hop and soul focused singer-songwriter (hence his inclusion on the iconic 2016 XXL Freshman list), Paak has since branched retro soul pop with Bruno Mars as Silk Sonic, lo-fi art-rap with producer Knxwledge as NxWorries, and most recently EDM on his Fred again.. collaborative single “places to be.” However, none of his big time accolades may have happened without the release of his sophomore album Malibu, a genre-bending yet mainstream-ready look into the SoCal lifestyle of Anderson .Paak.

This record was the focus of Paak’s Malibu Tour, which arrived at the Mann Center’s TD Pavilion on the night of October 8th. Fans slowly made their way to the amphitheater after doors opened at 6:45 p.m., with the crisp dusk air reminding us all that summer is finally in our rearview mirror.

Maurice Brown | photo by Ben Wong for WXPN

The first performer of the night was the multi-talented Maurice ‘Mobetta’ Brown, who opened the night with a three-song set consisting of singing, rapping, and some phenomenal trumpeting, all backed by a three-piece band.

Brown’s brief set was directly followed up by a sensual, spiritual, and celebratory showing from GAWD, the femme-forward R&B duo of Alana Linsey and Alayna Rodgers. They showcased a choreographed performance, which was built around their recent deluxe EP Cathedral City Supreme. Tucked between their tracks were a few notes of solid advice; being smart with your money and emphasizing women’s right to choose what they want!

GAWD | photo by Ben Wong for WXPN

With Paak set to take the stage at 8:45 p.m., the pavilion was quickly filling up from the small pit area in front of the stage to the lawn area. Lights went down at 8:47 p.m. and a voice stated “ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to go ill.” Former opener Maurice Brown and the Free Nationals keys player T. Nava performed a majestic intro, and then the Malibu experience began. The familiar guitar riff that opens “The Bird” began, and Paak appeared on the screen from backstage. As he sang the album opener, he made his way onto the stage, followed by a camera. Along with the Free Nationals, who consist of bassist Kelsey Gonzalez, guitarist José Ríos, drummer Callum Connor, and the aforementioned T.Nava on keys, Paak’s backing band also included his openers GAWD on backing vocals and Brown on trumpet.

“We gonna play this mothaf*cka from the top to bottom, okay?” Paak exclaimed as “The Bird” closed. The pavilion was already on their feet at this point, ready to experience the album that likely introduced many of them to the performer. Each song’s arrangement was beefed up for the live setting, with added solos and instrumental parts in order to fill big stages with energy. As expected, Paak showcased his well-known talent for playing the drums whilst performing vocals during the set. The singer also looked incredibly sharp in a bright blue suit and classic shades. During these moments, Connor would either double Paak on another kit or move to a secondary drum setup with bongo-like hand drums. While the stage did not feature an elaborate set design, the venue took full advantage of its projection screen, showing close ups of the performers in a beautifully retro filter that made their shiny faces glow in the stage lights.

Anderson .Paak | photo by Ben Wong for WXPN

Before the album’s fourth track “The Season | Carry Me,” Anderson .Paak took a moment to dedicate the show to his father Ronald Anderson, who was born and raised in North Philadelphia. The extended version of “TS|CM” was powerful, ending in an all-out instrumental crescendo. From here, the album continued with fan favorite “Am I Wrong” featuring fantastic background vocals from GAWD and an otherworldly solo from T. Nava during what is normally the ScHoolboy Q guest verse. Brown’s trumpet part stood out on “Parking Lot,” and the pavilion was treated to a short dance party from Paak’s alter ego DJ PeeWee for the funky track “Lite Weight.” The song “Room In Here” was aided by T. Nava’s vocoder, which was shown in detail to the crowd over the projection screen.

As expected, the hit song “Come Down” absolutely rocked the pavilion, with everyone up to dance and sing along to the iconic chorus. However, the following ballad “Silicon Valley” was performed with exceptional energy, not missing a step after what seemed like a peak moment in the set. Paak went up to the front row and was met with a giant hug and grasping hands from the fans. His vocals, which have always been versatile, were amazing on the belted chorus. The album closed out with a more true-to-recording rendition of “Celebrate” that featured Paak back in the drum kit, and an inspirational moment for “The Dreamer.” But as Paak exited the stage, it was clear that the show was not over.

Anderson .Paak | photo by Ben Wong for WXPN

The Free Nationals held down the stage for a brief two-song set, playing popular tracks “Beauty and Essex” and “Eternal Light,” both off their self-titled debut album from 2019. The Daniel Caesar-assisted former track was sung by T. Nava, fully in vocoder. This version of the song was previously performed during the band’s own Tiny Desk performance, and it was a treat to witness such a rare, difficult technique in person. The stoner anthem “Eternal Light” saw Brown enjoying a few hits of smoke while simultaneously playing his trumpet… quite the sight.

Eventually, Paak came back out in a slightly less formal red outfit to perform a mix of various other tracks with the band, including newer highlights such “Make It Better” from 2019’s Ventura, the lead single “Tints” from 2018’s Oxnard, and his KAYTRANADA collab “GLOWED UP” from 2016. The rap-heavy, loosie single “Bubblin” was an insane burst of energy, as Paak delivered an impressive vocal performance of the dramatic banger. The set began to fade again as “Come Home” closed out the encore with a beautiful, full-band arrangement. However, a low synth hummed with energy as the stage lights fell to darkness, and the band walked off stage.

Anderson .Paak | photo by Ben Wong for WXPN

The nostalgic instrumental from the 2023 NxWorries track “Daydreaming” began, and Paak came forth once more for a true second encore as the crowd applauded for the tireless performer. At this point, it seemed like he could sing all night. He continued to dig through his hefty catalog of popular collabs, bringing out Brown to fill in for Cordae on their back-and-forth hip-hop jam “RNP.” The pavilion assisted Paak for the chorus of “Smokin Out The Window,” one of Paak’s biggest hits as half of Silk Sonic. With his endless supply of energy, Paak danced his heart out to “places to be,” his recent track with Fred again.. and CHIKA. In one of the most touching moments of the entire show, Paak closed the night with “Dang!” which he dedicated to the late Pittsburgh visionary that he had made the song with, Mac Miller. The chilling accuracy of Paak’s chorus has become incredibly poignant following Miller’s untimely death in 2018 (“Gone too soon, wait! / We was just hanging”). A backstage photo of Paak and Miller appeared on screen as the song ended.

With the extensive performance closed, the Free Nationals, GAWD, and Brown came out for a group bow and standing ovation from the crowd. In a somewhat unexplained event, a man who appeared to be a tour or production manager received a tray of cupcakes to the face… maybe it was his birthday? Nonetheless, the extravagant night was over just before 11 p.m., and fans began hustling to find their way home.

The Malibu Tour is nearing its end, with only three shows following the Philly stop. Similar to his stage presence, Paak never slows down his work ethic in the studio, and there is bound to be more to hear from the versatile musician soon. Check out his tour dates here and see more photos from the show in the gallery below.

Kathleen Edwards: “Chameleon/Comedian” (XPoNential Music Festival – 2019)