T-Pain @ Jacobs Pavilion (10/8/2025)
T-Pain lit up Cleveland on Wednesday night, celebrating 20 years of club anthems and getting people moving. A friend of mine saw his show a few nights earlier on the East Coast and warned me I’d be in for a party. She also told me to look out for Pain’s “fairy move.” which I immediately recognized when it happened later in the evening. With that in mind, I walked through the cold Cleveland night to Jacobs Pavilion. Waiting for me there were two massive X’s on the stage, with a DJ booth in the middle. The grandeur of the set design only got me more excited for what was to come.
Opening the night, Asaka The Renegade, Armani White, and EarthGang took the stage, keeping the fans warm and moving while we waited for T-Pain to make his appearance. And when it was showtime, T-Pain came to the stage dressed in a green bedazzled suit, dancing in sync with his backup dancers to the opening song “Shawty.” I was so impressed with his moves as I spent my three songs in the photo pit, and after they were up, I walked toward the general pit with a smile on my face. The energy was infectious, and I quickly took my place in the crowd to soak in (and dance to) everything else Pain had to give us.
In the second half of the show, Pain played massive hits like “Bartender” and “I’m N Luv (Wit a Stripper).” When looking back on his discography, these are likely the first songs that come to mind for casual listeners, but throughout the night it became clear just how many tracks he’s touched over the years; Huge songs that so many millennials have memories tied to. Whether it’s a high school dance (like me) or a club night, you could feel the entire pavilion reminiscing in real time. I had to pinch myself a few times to remember this wasn’t a 2010s-themed rave, and I was, in fact, listening live to the man who helped shape a whole generation of music.
Toward the end of the set, T-Pain performed covers of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.” It’s amazing how beautiful his voice is, and how naturally he blends into the rock genre. Anyone who still associates him only with Auto-Tune is doing a disservice to his talent and range.
Pain ended the evening with “All I Do Is Win,” but the real winners were the ones who showed up Wednesday night to catch his set. Here’s hoping for a 21st year, and another stop in Cleveland!
Photos by Shelly Duncan
T-Pain
