‘No,’ Glo

Before she ended her set, Memphis rap star Glorilla issued a warning to a rowdy faction of her fan base at the St. Louis leg of the Glorious Tour Monday night at The Factory.

“I think y’all came to the wrong show…Y’all wasn’t supposed to be at the Glorious Tour, doing all this fighting,” It was her final plea to calm them down. “Any more fighting and I’ll have to stop the show.”

Unfortunately, it was a promise she was forced to keep. 

Glorilla left the stage in the middle of her viral hit “Whatchu Kno About Me” as a series of fights broke out. The fly ladies and their friends, before laughing and taking pictures, shuffled out to the parking lot, their long braids swaying behind them. Some stayed behind – super fans in pre-ordered Glorious Tour merch atop ruffle shorts and baby doll skirts, waiting to see if she would return to the stage. After the house lights came on and the crew began to remove the light that continuously flashed across the audience, it became clear the artist would not be returning. 

Prior to the three fights that ended the night, Glorilla gave a dynamic performance. She named her tour “The Glorious Tour”, a pun on her real name Gloria Hallelujah with Queen Key and Real Boston Richey for opening acts.

“When my fans listen to my music, I want them to feel glorious like I do,” Glorilla said. “[To] Take away that they can do whatever they put they mind to, say whatever they want to say and just be them.” 

The concert started with a dramatic rendition of “Intro” with an amplified bass and frenzied light show across the stage. There was also a row of lights at the front of the stage just for the audience, which made it feel as if they were in their own music video. 

Glorilla’s main look was a long sleeve metallic gold jumpsuit with black lace cutouts along the arms and legs and a sultry keyhole neckline. She had 6 dancers with her on stage who came to life when they performed her hit “HOLLON.” The crowd began jumping up and down and recording themselves reenacting the song’s internet sensation dance routine. 

She then performed her featured verse on OMB Peezy’s viral hit “Lay Down. A sea of lights filled the crowd recording her as she did the viral wall dance. She then moved into “LET HER COOK” and the audience went wild screaming the chorus over the again amplified bass backed by engineer and producer Dynasty Digitals. 

It was an unexpected twist when Glorilla said, “Now this is the point of the show we bring somebody on stage.” The dancers searched the crowd and found one lucky gentleman that was brought to a chair in the middle of the stage as “Shake Dat [expletive]” by BossMan Dlow began to play. Glorilla danced around the beaming fan, seductively rapping her verse before taking a seat on his lap. 

Glorilla performed “STOP PLAYING” and her verse from “BOP” by Big Boogie and DJ Drama before transitioning into a serious tone with “DON’T DESERVE.” She dedicated the song to anyone who has survived or is currently enduring domestic violence. “Don’t ever let him cheat on you,” she said as the lyrics of the chorus flashed on the screen above her.  Don’t ever let him beat on you.”

She followed this with “I AIN’T GOING,” another song that decried violence against women. 

“I ain’t goin’ for all that ruff me up and grab me by the neck. [N-word expletive] put his hands on me, we gon’ be smokin’ on him next.”

It seemed important to Glorilla that her fans felt confident and self-assured. This message was lost on some members of the crowd who resorted to violence against each other as the concert continued. 

She performed “I LUV HER” and brought out Queen Key for “Hell Woods 2” before getting the party started again with “All Dere.” The dancers came out in black bralettes and THICK shorts – which were available for purchase at the merch table. They showed off their acrobatics skills, flipping and jumping into splits. 

Glorilla was able to make it through her verse on Tyler the Creator’s “Sticky” and “HOW I LOOK” just before the chaos broke loose. It was during a dance break on “TGIF” that a fight broke out causing the artist to stop to address the crowd. 

“Y’all ain’t that mad,” Glorilla said as security worked to calm the situation. “Ain’t nobody did nothing that bad for y’all to be out there fighting.”

When she threatened to leave the stage, several fans yelled out “NO” – and encouraged her to stay on stage. She began performing “WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME” and after two more fights in quick succession Glorilla left the stage.

“I’m sorry, y’all, but we gotta end the show right here,” Glorilla told the crowd in her charming Memphis accent. “It’s another [expletive] fight. I love y’all. I didn’t want to do this, but we gotta make sure safety [is] first. I love y’all St. Louis.”

Living It content is produced with funding by the ARPA for the Arts grants program in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the Community Development Administration.