While it would take days of listening to get through all of Chris Brown’s extensive discography, the pop star packed as many songs as he could into his more than two-hour set at Camping World Stadium on Tuesday night.
Fans squeezed into seats from the floor to the upper bowl to catch a setlist of more than 50 songs, including plenty of medleys and partial snippets of tracks presented as snapshots of Brown’s 20-year career. The “Breezy Bowl XX” tour, which kicked off in Amsterdam in June before coming stateside at the end of July in Miami, shares a story of Brown’s trials and triumphs since beginning his career at age 16.
As if the audience gathered didn’t already know about Brown’s global stardom and success, the giant video board touted the singer’s 25 Grammy Award nominations and 118 songs on the Billboard Top 100 chart shortly before the performer appeared on stage.
The retrospective set began by recalling Brown’s rise to stardom with early tracks “Run It” and “Gimme That,” both of which appeared on his debut self-titled album in 2005. The singer was flanked by an entourage of costumed dancers at the beginning of the night, and they frequently appeared alongside him to dance in unison throughout the show.
The energy remained high as fans danced and sang along with hits such as “Yo (Excuse Me Miss)” and “Yeah 3x,” giving the atmosphere of a giant party with Brown as the emcee and host.
Even from the start, the production value was apparent with two X-shaped stages with video screens and two giant inflatable statues of Brown — one showing the singer from the cover of his first album and the other a modern-day representation.
For all of his success, Brown has endured a number of controversies and negative media attention, especially stemming from his assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009. Some of the star’s darker chapters were touched on in a video montage to open the second act of the show, “The Fall.”
This segment hit on some of Brown’s downturns and self-discovery reflected in “Ten Toes,” “Grass Ain’t Greener,” “Drunk Texting” and “Don’t Judge Me.”
In the “fantasy” section of the show, the Breezy Bowl XX got a little more X-rated as scantily clad dancers twerked and maneuvered their way around Brown in very handsy choreography moves.
It was also during this part of the concert that Brown stunned the crowd by flying overhead on a wire and harness, landing on a B-stage near the back of the floor. The songs in this section ranged from the romantic “With You” to the flirtatious “Kiss Kiss.”
Chris Brown performs during his “Breezy Bowl XX” tour in Orlando at Camping World Stadium Tuesday night. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
Other moments were more overtly sensual. During “Take You Down,” a woman from the audience was brought on stage to lie back on a chaise lounge chair, where Brown gave her a lap dance.
The final act of the show touched on Brown’s legacy in the world of pop and R&B music. The singer emerged back on stage wearing a Michael Jackson-esque outfit, bringing the party atmosphere back with “Loyal,” “Poppin’,” “No Air” and the finale, “Forever.”
With the final song of the night, the energy never wavered with fans dancing and singing along to every word. Brown’s career has already spanned two full decades, but the show made it clear “Breezy” isn’t going anywhere.
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