Concert Review: Key Glock Brings ‘Glockaveli’ To Life With Sold-Out Show At House Of Blues

While Key Glock may not be a household name (yet), to his loyal fans, he’s a superstar.

The Paper Route Empire (PRE) rapper’s Glockaveli tour has been quite successful, with several sold-out shows, including his most recent one at the House of Blues Cleveland on Thursday (June 12).

Doors opened up at 7 p.m., with hundreds of fans pouring into the venue, awaiting to see the 27-year-old rapper. The show officially kicked off an hour later at 8 p.m., with DJ Memphis setting the vibe for the night. Not long after, two of Glock’s labelmates, Zo Trapalot and Paper Route Woo, turned the energy up to another level, giving rousing performances.

A few hours later, upon Key Glock’s arrival, everything seemingly came to a halt as the rapper took the stage. Throughout his electrifying show —complete with mood lighting, smoke, and confetti—he performed several new tracks from his Glockaveli album, which was released on May 2. The crowd’s hands couldn’t seem to leave the air as he performed tracks like
“Gang Sh*t No Lame Sh*t,” “Let’s Go,” “Badu,” and “No Sweat.”

Key Glock also made a point to show appreciation to his long-time fans, playing some of his early-career hits, including “Mr.Glock,” “Since 6ix,” and “Russian Cream.” Additionally, Key Glock took several moments to honor his label’s co-founder, Young Dolph, who was shot and killed in November 2021 in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.

The tour, presented by SiriusXM’s Hip-Hop Nation, kicked off only a few weeks after his album release on May 21 in Oklahoma City at The Criterion. Prior to Cleveland, Key Glock had stopped by big cities like Houston, Atlanta, and Baltimore. The rapper is expected to hit 20 cities in the US, with his closing show in Las Vegas at the Brooklyn Bowl.

From July 4 until July 13, the rapper will begin the international leg of his tour, trekking across Europe with performances in countries like Germany, Spain, and Romania. Tour dates, as well as tickets for Key Glock’s Glockaveli tour, are still available on his website.

Key Glock Opens Up About The Inspiration Behind ‘Glockaveli ‘

During a recent interview with Hot 97, the rapper opened up about the inspiration for his latest album — noting that Tupac’s 1996 project, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (commonly referred to as Makaveli), played a significant part. He also acknowledges that both his and Pac’s projects pull from Renaissance political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince.

While Makaveli told the story of “vengeance” and “death,” the rapper believes Pac was much more than the violent, “thug-life” imagery often associated with his music. According to Key Glock, he, too, faces the same plight. The rapper believes people have gotten the wrong impression of him, with claims that he’s rude and cocky.

“If you look more into him and just read about him,” the rapper said. “You’ll know what he represented, stood for, and how smart he was.” Glock added, “…He [Tupac] so misunderstood, and I am too.”