On Friday, November 11th, I drove over two hours from Orlando to head to Jannus Live, an outdoor venue right in the middle of St. Petersburg. St. Pete’s is primarily filled with older folks who are enjoying their retirement or vacation, but on this particular Friday night, large groups of teenagers & young adults roamed the tourist trap city. The Baby Gravy tour was in town, and after the previous St. Pete’s show was canceled due to Hurricane Nicole, the show was sold out and expected to be packed. It’s not every day that Yung Gravy and bbno$ come to your area, so every Floridian was showing up.
Jannus Live is a unique venue as its location is in the middle of a neighborhood; it almost feels like you’re in an alley or behind a building. There are apartments directly next to it (residents can open their windows & have a great view of the stage) and it sits in the middle of a block surrounded by bars. The stage itself is a decent size, and the GA area is spacious as well. There were several bar setups surrounding the perimeter of the GA section, as well as a merch stand in one of the corners. The venue filled up quickly with fans, as they flocked to the merch line or secured their spots close to the stage.
I arrived at the venue around 5:45, after a harrowing drive on a freeway that crosses the gulf (it’s not even a bridge! Just a single street stretching across all that water!), and was immediately put to the test in order to figure out how I was going to get into the show. I originally was set for the show on Thursday, but of course, the hurricane had other plans, and my Ticketmaster account displayed a bright red “CANCELED” message on my ticket. Expecting the worst but hoping for the best, I checked in with a venue staff member and was connected with the tour manager, who was beyond kind and helpful. Within the span of 2 minutes, I went from standing outside the venue (unsure if I would even be permitted into the show) to standing at the front of Yung Gravy and bbno$’s meet and greet line. Whirlwind is an understatement.
After a very wholesome meet and greet with the two (where I got confirmation that Gravy not only read our interview, but also really enjoyed it), I headed back to the main stage area to get ready for the pre-show Q&A. After letting in the fans who had early entrance, bbno$ and Yung Gravy took the stage to answer fan questions. A wide range of topics were covered, with some fans asking music focused questions, such as what DAW they use to produce, while others asked some sillier questions (“am I going to be a MILF when I grow up?!”, shouted one fan). Both of their genuine personalities were present onstage, and it was nice to see them connect with fans in a casual, personal way.
When I talked to Gravy in July, the tour was still in the planning stages. He shared that it would be more theatrical than his previous shows, and more of an extravaganza. At the time, I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant and how that would work with their music, but as soon as the show started, I understood exactly what he meant. Following DJ Tiiiiiiiiiip & Terror Reid’s opening sets, an intro video began. It was in the style of early cartoons, and showed Yung Gravy & bbno$ meeting, then quitting their respective jobs to “conquer SoundCloud as brethren.” The moment they came onstage was nothing short of iconic, the build up was perfect, and the crowd cheered at full volume. They opened with “Welcome to Chili’s”, and the crowd’s energy was palpable. Each track had accompanying visuals, most in the same cartoon style as the pre show video. It was truly a production, and as Gravy said, was definitely more theatrical than previous Gravy/bbno$ shows I’ve been to.
As this was a co-headline tour, both artists had segments where they took the stage on their own. They rotated between duets and solo sets, keeping it engaging for the crowd, and getting to play a wide range of both discographies. I was ecstatic to hear “Charlene”, an older Gravy tune from his first album that I consider to be more of a deep cut. The setlist was a great mix of singles and older songs for the OG fans, there was something for every type of fan.
A truly electric night, this concert was worth the scary drive over the gulf. The production (especially the visuals) was amazing, the setlist was perfect, Gravy & bbno$ gave it their all, and the crowd/venue was awesome. The energy was unmatched, and this was easily one of my favorite shows I’ve been to. Though Hurricane Nicole threw a wrench into things, the Baby Gravy tour still came out on top.
