MILWAUKEE — Chance the Rapper decided to make one more trip from Chicago to Milwaukee in 2021.
The three-time Grammy winner put his Bulls fandom on hold during the NBA Playoffs, when he had a courtside view to some of the biggest wins in Bucks history.
“It’s such an athletic team, between Jrue and obviously Giannis,” Chance said Tuesday. “It’s like watching a freakishly good game of basketball. Every game I went to, they won.”
The Bucks were 6-0 with Chance in the building, and he saw all three home wins during the NBA Finals, including the title-clinching Game 6.
The hip-hop icon had such a great time in Milwaukee, he chose to come back and take the stage. Chance the Rapper will make his Summerfest debut with a headlining set Friday night at American Family Insurance Amphitheater.
“It’s a really big opportunity,” Chance said Tuesday while visiting the renovated main stage. “And then also you guys are coming on the heels of a championship, so I just feel like the city’s gonna be turnt up.”
Friday will be Chance’s first concert since March 2020. When the pandemic shut live entertainment down, he shifted his focus to the big screen. His new film, “Magnificent Coloring World,” shares behind-the-scenes footage from a secret 2017 show in Chicago. Chance signed an exclusive deal with AMC Theaters, which released the film which August 13. The 28-year-old said revisiting the shows promoting his Grammy-winning “Coloring Book” mixtape made him realize how much he missed performing on stage.
Summerfest is the only show on Chance’s schedule this year. He hinted there may be a surprise or two in store for fans who have waited two-plus years to enjoy live music on the lakefront.
“I feed off having people show love and be turnt up at my shows,” Chance said. “[Summerfest is] just a gigantic thing, and a prestigious institution. I’m happy to be back.”
Chicago will always be home, but Milwaukee will hold a special place when Chance the Rapper looks back on the year 2021.