Sunday’s thunderstorms set the mood for listening to Kehlani’s self-titled fifth album — in the comfort of your own home. But the foreboding storms let up just in time for Kehlani to take the stage in front of 100,000 attendees at Huntington Bank Pavilion in what would be a jubilant night for the ascending R&B singer.
“To be able to be here tonight and you guys sold out every ticket available, I appreciate you. To be here when it was raining cats and dogs and boots and bagels and s— outside, y’all are so real and I love you and I appreciate you,” Kehlani told fans during the sold-out Chicago stop of the Kehlani World Tour. And the turnout was a huge difference from her previous Chicago performances. “The last time I did Chicago [at Aragon Ballroom in 2024, it] was about 5,000,” she told the crowd.
It’s been a breakout year for the singer. Her latest album, featuring the hit “Folded,” hit No. 4 on the Billboard 200, becoming the biggest debut for an R&B album by a woman this year.
The show’s concept — broken into six parts — revolved around a night out with friends at a fictional, queer and women-friendly nightclub, The Phoenix. The concept was also an allegory of coming back to life after enduring severe hardships and pain. It was emblematic of what her audience, people of color and queer people, have faced during the second term of President Trump, including the rollback of federal protections for LGBTQ+ people and the administration’s immigration enforcement campaign.
The show also highlights Kehlani’s own story of how her self-titled fifth album became one of the biggest turning points of her career with “Folded.” It led to her very first Grammy Awards for “Best R&B Performance” and “Best R&B Song” after years of being nominated. This was significant because she was one of the few musicians who spoke against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests across the country while still achieving commercial success in spite of dealing with backlash.
The show’s six parts — “Morning,” “Home/Walk,” “Club,” “Afters,” “Walk Home” and “Home” — were a step-by-step musical journey. “Morning” saw Kehlani being brought out in bed, waking up with her dancers to “Anotha Lova.”
Throughout the evening, the show paid homage to Kehlani’s musical influences from the ’90s and early 2000s through dance routines and song sampling. Throughout “Home/Walk” and the DJ Waseel-led “Club” acts, the dancers performed hip-hop choreography reminiscent of an early 2000s R&B video. Each of them danced over songs like Ciara’s “Goodies” and Aaliyah’s “Rock The Boat,” with Kehlani dancing during the latter half.
Kehlani’s powers shone the brightest in the closing acts, “Afters,” “Walk Home” and “Home.” Hopping back on stage in an all-purple outfit, Kehlani brought the audience back to reality after a night of pure fun. “I Need You” masterfully captured the emotional spirit of ’90s R&B that brings you deep into your feels. And the choreography on “Late Nights” carried that same pinpointed precision, as in Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation” era music videos. It’s a case study of how an artist can take inspiration from their heroes without being a knockoff version.
“You guys played such a large role in the last year of my life; it turned a complete 180 on me. And I have to say thank you, and I have to take a moment — can we all say thank you, God, that we all have someplace tonight that is safe that we can gather and that we can celebrate joy,” proclaimed Kehlani.
New Jersey’s own The Arti$t is one of the crown jewels of Chicago-based Laka Films’ No More Heroes imprint. The R&B singer represents a pivot for the label, beyond drill music. The Arti$t’s third project, “DND,” was released in April. Standing in the middle of the stage, the singer charmed the audience with her lovely vocals on songs like “S.I.M.P.L.E.” Her stage presence was so captivating that one fan yelled, “Sing to me, daddy!”
Riding high from his recent Grammy victory for “Best Progressive R&B Album,” Durand Bernarr was clearly in high form. Dressed to the nines in a sleeveless beige suit and multicolored scarf around his head and neck, Bernarr performed songs like “My Life” and “SHARP!” with bold, spiritual flair that’s reminiscent of a young Prince. His set had fans on their feet as if we were in the Black Church. It was Sunday after all.
Kehlani brought all three openers out to perform “Unlearn.”
“We were rushed on stage an hour early, but just know that these are the most talented people in the world. And it’s actually hard to go last and try to sing when these singing ass muh’f—— done hooted and hollered all over the stage before I got there,” Kehlani said.
“Unlearn” is her confessional closer that finds Kehlani being painfully honest about unlearning toxic behaviors from growing up in survival mode. And hearing all four voices combined felt as emotionally compelling as watching ’90s Disney films like “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” that were predominantly soundtracked by legendary R&B singers from the era.
Kehlani has long been a voice against injustice and creating space for the most marginalized. On Sunday, she gave fans the space to party, not to distract us, but to heal us all.
Kehlani set list for Aug. 9, 2026, show at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
I. Morning
Anotha Lova
Shoulda Never
No Such Thing
You Got It
II. Home / Walk
Dancer Intros
Back and Forth
Lights On
Serial Lover
Sweet Nuthins
Piece of Mind
Open
III. Club
Waseel Introducing the Club
Call Me Back
Pocket
Hate the Club
After Hours
Oooh
IV. Afters
Waseel DJ Set
Toxic
Can You Blame Me
Still
I Need You
V. Walk Home
Footsteps
Out the Window
Nights Like This
Distraction
VI. Home
Everything
Cruise Control
Unlearn
Folded