Visiting the significance of big-name artists coming to the 804

Within the past year, there has been resurgence of big name artists performing in Richmond, with an expanding range of genres taking the stage in Virginia’s capital city.

Richmond, a city known for its artistic scene and cultural aesthetic, is a place that would seem like a no-brainer stop for artists on tour. Still, the city has always played third fiddle to more larger cities like D.C., Norfolk and Virginia Beach. This is because Richmond is caught in-between the two areas and for many artists in the past, a stop in Richmond proved to be unnecessary.

In the past, the only acts to perform in Richmond were young, up and coming artists with little-to-no following or veteran artists who perform for older crowds as a part of a group bill. This circumstance has vastly changed, however, and musically relevant artists are now choosing Richmond on their tour dates.

Richmond holds several venues for shows, most notable are Richmond’s historic Altria Theater, AEG Live’s The National, the Richmond Coliseum and the independently-owned Broadberry.

Since early 2015, rappers such as platinum-selling artist J. Cole, Chance The Rapper, Talib Kweli, Future, Wale and legendary singers Bob Dylan and Gladys Knight have all performed at these venues, many of which were sold out.

This has come as a delight to many concertgoers, including VCU junior De’Von Henderson.

“For a long time, I had to drive hours just to see my favorite artists,” he said. “It’s a great feeling now that they are coming to the city. It’s not only good for the artist but more so for the fans.”

Speaking to his point, many artists have often shied away from Richmond due to assumptions about the city. Now, though, many artists are starting to see the city for what it really is and not word-of-mouth. KRS-One, legendary rapper and activist, performed at The National on Thursday January 28. At his show, the rapper spoke of his time in Richmond.

“I was caught in the storm and got a chance to see the real Richmond and not what you hear. The food was delicious. The people were great.  I had an amazing time here and definitely will be back,” KRS-One said.

The rapper loved his time in Richmond so much he decided to visit the city’s colleges VCU and Virginia Union University.

Another artist who seemed to have found solace in Richmond was Grammy-award winning artist Macklemore. Caught in last week’s snow blizzard, the artist and his band were stuck in the city for a few days. At his show last Sunday, Macklemore referred to Richmond as his “second-home now.”

With artists like Grammy-award winning rapper Lil Wayne and popular rock band X Ambassadors set to perform in here next week, Richmond natives and residents should have no doubt that their city is now becoming a premier location for artists on tour.

Staff Writer, Muktaru Jalloh

Muktaru is a senior double majoring in English and political science with a minor in media studies. Topic areas Muktaru enjoys covering include music, sports, pop culture and politics. // Twitter | Facebook

jallohmm@commonwealthtimes.org