College Park ♡ My Heart: Los Angeles

College Park. The album. The tour. The era. 

You’ve been nothing but amazing to me, and you helped me believe in myself like no one else could. 

Join Chels (me!) on a journey across two consecutive nights of seeing Logic at the YouTube Theater in LA and at Petco Park in San Diego. While many readers may find this story to be lengthy, my duty is to provide you all with substantial detail so you may understand every emotion felt at any given moment. There will be two parts of this story, with each part receiving its own post. I was also blessed to receive media access for the San Diego concert, so part two will include high quality photos from that show. You’re currently reading part one, which is all about the LA show! 

I.

Guess who had the worst night ever last night? Well, maybe it wasn’t the worst night ever. I mean, there’s plenty of other nights I’ve had that were just as rough, or maybe even worse. Mostly every fangirl knows the feeling of not being able to get any sleep the night before a concert, because you’re just too damn excited about what’s to come. In my case, I was excited, but I was also having relentless anxiety the weeks leading up to the next two nights. It would come and go, but last night I guess it decided to pile up in my brain all at once, like too much salt or sugar being poured out of a shaker. Droplets of sweat traveled down my body to create a puddle on my bed sheets. My back and legs were cramping from tension and out-of-control hormones, causing me to panic even more. I couldn’t help but lay in bed with my eyes wide open, fearing doom and death would strike at any moment. Anxiety does weird and unwelcoming things to your brain and body, and it all decided to come crashing down less than 24 hours before seeing Logic in LA.

No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t fall asleep. I’m the type of person who cannot function when they get less than seven hours of sleep. My allergies tend to go insane, and I always end up falling asleep in random places. Going for a jog doesn’t help me wake up. Taking a shower won’t help either. I’m no longer able to drink caffeine, but back in the days when I could, it would be useless during times like these.

Time is ticking though, and I need to start getting ready for my epic day. I quickly put on some black jeans and the Mr. Burger shirt I bought at the College Park listening party in February. Every time I think about that day, I can’t help but tell myself, “Damn, Chels. You really camped out in the freezing rain for Logic on the streets of LA.” I absolutely did, and the entire experience healed my inner child since teenage me wasn’t allowed to do such things. I consider that shirt to be a trophy commemorating the occasion.

“Chels, what time are you leaving? It’s 9AM already!” My mom yells from downstairs.

“Uhhh, soon!” I respond, while quickly trying to comb my tangled up brown hair. I seriously had no clue what time I was getting out of the house, but I did know it would take more than two hours to get to LA from my part of San Diego. There’s many people who say it only takes two hours to get to LA from San Diego, but that’s an overly generous estimate 99% of the time. How would I know? My university is in LA, and when school is in session, I stay in the apartments on campus. On some weekends, I’ll drive back down to San Diego to visit my parents or cover a concert for my blog. While I’m used to there being traffic all the time, it doesn’t make the commute any less annoying. Would I call it disgusting? I don’t think the word “disgusting” does justice.

My clothes are on, my bags are packed, but I’m starting to feel rushed by no one other than time… and maybe my intuition. I know how dedicated Logic’s fandom, the RattPack, can truly be. There’s probably a dozen people lined up outside the venue by now in the GA line. Even though I have a VIP ticket for the show, I’m sure there will already be people in the VIP line too. My stomach is throwing a fit now, but I have no time to eat. I grab my BT21 Chimmy makeup bag, a tote bag with a change of clothes, toiletries, my red jacket from the Bobby Tarantino Vs. Everybody Tour, and run downstairs to my car. To my surprise, the garage door had already been opened for me. I quickly turn on the engine of my 2015 Nissan Sentra and connect my phone to Bluetooth so I can listen to No Pressure and get traffic updates on Waze.

After four years, I’m finally seeing Logic do a full concert again. My favorite biracial rapper who helped me get through so many difficult periods in my life would finally be in front of me once again. I couldn’t help but think about how at the Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind Tour in 2019, I told myself next time I’d make sure I was at more than one tour date. “Next time” is now, and I’ll be seeing Logic tonight in LA at the YouTube Theater, and at Petco Park in San Diego tomorrow night. I was doing exactly what younger me said I’d do, and I’m so proud of following through with my promise to myself. Money comes and goes, but memories don’t… or at least not as quickly.

II. 

My intuition has never lied to me, and it certainly didn’t lie to me today. Traffic? Yeah, it sucked. You bet. I arrive at my friend Daisy’s house and sit in my car to do my makeup. As I dig through my makeup bag, I realize I left most of my chunky glitters and my favorite eyeshadow palette at home. 

Oh, well. At least I have foundation on my face, and my Urban Decay setting spray has never let me down. Anything else would probably fall off from sweat or inevitable tears, right? 

I make sure everything on my face is intact, and proceed to book a room at a Motel 6 about 15 minutes from Daisy’s house. I’ve always found it nearly impossible for me to drive back to San Diego after going to a concert in LA. I’ve never had the stamina for it, so what would make me or anyone else think I could pull that off tonight? The freeways aren’t the safest place to be driving on at 2 or 3AM, either. Daisy texts me and tells me that she’s ready to go, and we’ll be using her car to drive to the venue. I lock up my car and walk towards her car parked across the street. 

“Let’s do this!” I say as I enter Daisy’s car.

“Does my makeup look okay?” Daisy asks.

“Of course. Awww, you got the strawberries!” I say as I look down at a box of white chocolate-dipped strawberries and Oreos that Daisy decorated. Each strawberry and Oreo had green accents to give them a College Park theme. I pick up the box and place it on my lap to keep it safe during transit. 

Well, looks like we’re about to start cruisin’ through the universe… haha.

III. 

As soon as Daisy and I got to the venue, we passed by a dozen fans lined up for GA on the south side of the theater. YouTube Theater is attached to SoFi Stadium, which is the most expensive (and confusing) NFL stadium ever built. Some fans told us to go to a separate entrance on the east side of the stadium for VIP check in, and the walk up here felt like a trek. Why can’t humans just teleport themselves already? Ugh. And of course, once I got into the appropriate line, I counted at least 40 people in front of me. There has to be more people… I’m just really bad at math. There hasn’t been too much activity for the past 20 minutes that I’ve been here, either. 

Daisy leaves to deliver the strawberries to her friends, and I begin to shiver. I reach for my jacket inside of my pink clear tote bag. Southern California weather is really weird during this time of the year. One moment it can feel cold, the next it can feel hotter than an undiscovered realm of hell. 

“One more hour of this,” I grunt to myself. Everyone around me is too invested in their own conversations to hear what just flowed out of my mouth. I can’t help but look around, notice groups of friends or couples having lively conversations, and then there’s me: sitting by myself in this line, feeling like my chest is going to cave in on itself, and on the verge of tears. Sometimes I truly wish I had a group of friends to go to concerts with consistently, but it’s difficult because more often than not, I’m unable to stay by their side the entire time. At a lot of shows, I have to separate from my friends to go into the photo pit for the first three songs of each set to take pictures for my blog. At some shows where I do this stuff, I can’t even enter the venue with my friends – I have to be escorted into the venue by the marketing representative at a separate entrance and long after the doors have opened. The last thing I’d ever want is for anyone to feel like I ditched them or feel like I’m a burden, but I just can’t help but feel like that’s the case 99% of the time. It’s a bittersweet tradeoff for getting to do cool stuff like photograph shows, interview artists, attend exclusive events, and do… whatever else one does when running a blog. 

Honestly, I just wanted everything to go well tonight and tomorrow. I really did, and I still do. But why does anxiety have to be such a little biatch? I’m so embarrassed over how stressed out I’ve been over these shows. I just can’t help but sit here along this curb on the sidewalk and drown in my sadness, guilt, and loneliness. I know… I shouldn’t feel sad. I’m about to see one of my favorite artists! But I literally just can’t help it.

My anxiety has also manifested itself physically, causing me to feel intense back and knee pain, as well as chest pain. I wish last night had been the end of it, but oh, no, it absolutely wasn’t. As I sit in line and anticipate the VIP check-in to start, I feel my chest locking up and my back beginning to click. I seriously… never… asked for this. It’s taking everything out of me to not cry in front of all these people. The last thing I want them to think is that I’m attention-seeking too. 

I bury my head into my phone, push my thick hair out of my face, and go back to scrolling aimlessly on TikTok. 

IV. 

It’s 5PM now, and the line I’m in starts to move a little.

“Oh boy, here we go,” I say nervously. The line begins to split up into three lines, depending on the tier of VIP each person has. There’s less than ten people in front of me for Gold VIP, but the Diamond VIP line gets checked in first, and their line seems to be never-ending. I watch workers give fans signed posters and tote bags, and I continue to wait for my turn to come. 

Their line dissipates quickly, and now it’s time for my line to get checked in and head inside the theater. A worker checks my ID, and then hands me a lanyard, a poster with the tour dates on it, and a black shirt that says “College Park Tour.” I then get directed to make a U-turn and go to an entrance behind where the check-in line was. I waddle over to the gate, attempting to roll my poster into a rubber band as I move quickly to the entrance. I enter a very short line in between a few barricades, and wait for my ticket to be checked.

“Are you all Gold VIP?” The YouTube Theater employee asks me and the rest of the small group that just formed inside the barricade.

“Yes,” we all say in unison. 

“Okay, good,” she responds. She begins to check all of our tickets and scan them at a podium. 

“Please place your phone here,” she says as she directs me to hold my phone under a scanner. The light on the machine turns green, and I enter the patio area of the venue and see a large merch setup to my left. While it’s extremely tempting, I go over to the line to enter the actual theater. 

“Wait, I remember you. You’re the thumbnail!” A guy in front of me says. He’s referring to the thumbnail from one of the College Park listening party recap videos, where fans who had camped out in line got interviewed. I actually do remember him from the event, and we make small talk. He then agrees to watch my spot for a few minutes, and I run up to the merch stand.

“I wasn’t gonna do this!” I tell the merch seller while glancing at the shirts on display. “I seriously wasn’t going to do this. But I can’t help it.” 

“What would you like?” The seller asks.

“I’ll take the Bobby’s Petrol shirt,” I reply. I reach for my debit card, and tap it on the card reader without hesitation. The merch seller hands me my shirt and I run back to the line. All of a sudden, I feel an urge to pee. I have a tendency to need to use the bathroom immediately out of nowhere when I’m anxiously awaiting something pleasant that will be taking place in the immediate future. It’s very much a thing that makes me… “me.”

Okay, great. I’m REALLY having trouble holding it in now. If only the security guard standing by the door could just escort me to a bathroom. It’s not like I’m trying to cut in front of everyone to get inside sooner! I really don’t want to piss myself. 

I think he can tell by my body language I REALLY want to go inside. 

“Five more minutes,” he tells me. I roll my eyes.

Another man who works for the YouTube Theater walks out.

“Hi everyone, can I have your attention please?” He says. “We’re going to start walking downstairs and get ready to go into the soundcheck. What we’re not going to do is run and push one another. If I see anyone trying to trample one another, I’m going to pull you out of the venue, and no show for you.”

Thank Goodness. Sometimes my vertigo kicks in when I’m walking down a flight of stairs, and the last thing I need is anyone trying to trample me or even rush me. 

The man gives the security guard the green light, and we begin to walk downstairs. I feel like shouting “HALLELUJAH,” because this finally means BATHROOM BREAK FOR ME! 

My line begins to make its way down a flight of stairs, and it makes a pause in a hallway. I ask the people behind me to hold my spot as I take care of this… near-emergency situation… and run to the women’s room a few doors down. I say near-emergency, because an actual emergency would’ve been me peeing my pants because I couldn’t make it to the restroom in time.

As I pull out a toilet seat cover from the dispenser, I begin to daydream about a potential special guest for the show. It feels like every major artist brings out a surprise guest during the LA stop of their tours. I really couldn’t narrow anyone down, but I just felt like something really huge was about to come out of this show tonight – besides new music being announced. Over the past few months, Logic has been keeping his fans fed better than Souplantation ever could. I do miss those pizza bread strips with the clam chowder, though. But yeah, he’s been dropping TONS of new music, and the happiness is clearly mutual. He seems to be having so much fun putting his art out there independently, and I just wouldn’t be surprised if we were getting more music soon, too! 

Well, there’s no need to break my head over anything right now. I run back in line feeling a sense of relief, and the line begins to move. A venue employee opens the doors to the music hall, and escorts us down another flight of stairs into the pit area. I speed walk to the right side of the pit, and find a good view right on the barricade. As we all walk in, Logic is doing a Q&A session with the diamond tier VIP holders. 

“Oh my God, I can’t believe this view!” I say quietly to everyone around me. 

“We’re gonna do you, and then you with the hat, and that’s it.” I hear Logic say. His Q&A was coming to an end, and the soundcheck would follow.

A girl to my far left begins to share her ambitions of becoming a writer, and wants some advice from Logic about following that path. A lightbulb immediately goes off in my head. (It’s a neon pink light bulb, and it starts to flicker like the lights on a carnival game at the county fair.) Oh, if only I was standing next to this girl right now, because she would’ve gotten the biggest high five EVER from me. 

“WRITER’S GANG!” I whisper to myself happily, while feeling like a proud mother. Logic proceeds to tell her to just write. Even if she thinks something sounds stupid, continue to write. Just write it. I instantly remember how he told me something very similar at the College Park listening party, while I was in the midst of a devastating creative block that I was sure severed my relationships with many important people. It’s no secret that Logic really believes in his fans, and wants all of us to be able to chase our dreams and feel his support while doing so. His advice is very consistent, and I hope the girl who asked the question feels empowered and motivated to pursue writing. I’m also extremely grateful that she asked that question, because I definitely needed to hear what was essentially a reminder from my idol to just keep going. 

One of the reasons I was feeling sad earlier today was because my writing abilities were… let’s just say questioned… earlier this week by some important people. In the music industry, it can be incredibly difficult to not let other people’s opinion of you or your work affect you, because so many opportunities can literally rely on whether or not people like you. What if someone doesn’t want a nappy-haired, (technically obese), biracial, neurodivergent girl like me coming into their office and working with their clients on a daily basis? Well, they’re just not going to hire me. It’s so hard for me to hang on and have hope, but Logic is the one artist who has been helping me do so. To hear him once again speak those words that meant so much to me is something I’ll hold close to my heart, no matter what. 

Okay. Let me just… not freak out about the future right now. I’m here to turn up tonight and simultaneously be inspired. I’m gonna do exactly that.

V. 

The soundcheck begins, and I decide to put my phone away for the time being. I’m just not in the mood to be recording right now. I dance around, and Logic starts to walk towards my direction. I begin to feel a little jittery and start to clap and swing my hips. He sees me and starts to do the same exact thing. 

“OHOOOOOO MY GOD,” I say, feeling a slight dizziness. I immediately pull out my phone and send a text to one of my friends who isn’t at the show so I can fangirl.

He starts to sing “Self Medication,” and I begin to swoon and sway along to the rhythm. Everything else starts to feel like a blur, and all the feeling of stress my body was under earlier begins to fade. I not only feel happy, but I feel like I’m truly enjoying life at this very moment. This is what it’s all about. Me going to a Logic show means I get to be silly, be loud, be my true biracial self, and be proud of it all. I truly needed this feeling, and I missed this feeling.

The concert hasn’t even actually started yet. 

VI.

Welp, this has been a very anticlimactic intermission. I feel like at any concert where you have early entry, the wait for the first opener can be brutal. You’re trying to make conversation with the people around you, but eventually the conversations run dry, and you just end up staring at the sky wishing time would go by faster. 

The clock strikes eight.

TMan The Wizard jumps on stage and welcomes the crowd to the College Park Tour. TMan is another artist signed to Bobby Boy Records, and I’m mesmerized by his style! He’s wearing blue overalls covered in patches. 

Everything is getting oh so real now. I feel like screaming loudly, but I know that I’ll begin to cough violently if I even attempt to yell. The first opening act is Travis Stacey, a dreamy indie rocker from LA. He walks on stage with his guitar, and seems to be ready to get us all in a warm and fuzzy mood. 

“Thanks guys for coming!” Stacey says. “Shout out to TMan for kicking it off. Shout out to Castro.”

The crowd screams. Oh, I sure wish I could scream too. 

“Shout out to Academy Award winner, Juicy J.”

The crowd begins to howl.

“There’s another guy playing tonight, I forget his name.” Stacey strums his guitar quickly. “Oh, Logic! Yeah. Make some noise for him.” 

He immediately breaks out into song, and I immediately begin to roll and crack my neck to feel even more relaxed. I’m sure his mom must be very proud of him. After what feels like a blink of an eye, Stacey ends his set, and TMan The Wizard wastes absolutely no time to return to the stage to get the crowd raging with another song. It’s great to see a show that didn’t have long and boring set changes. The action is non stop here! C Dot Castro runs on stage, rapping along with TMan The Wizard. At this point, I wish I could start chanting “WOOO WOOO WOOO WOOO WOOO” out of appreciation, like people would do at a K-Pop concert. But would it be socially acceptable? Probably not, and I’m not trying to get death stares right now. 

Castro’s set is making me feel so many emotions at once. One moment I feel like jumping up and down, the next I feel like the heart eyes emoji, personified. He performs a variety of songs, including a few from his halfBREED project with Logic. 

Once again, TMan The Wizard jumps on stage at the conclusion of Castro’s set. I know that Juicy J is next, so I whip out my phone from my pocket and search his setlist on Twitter so I can know exactly what I’m getting myself into. 

Smoke fills the stage, and many members of the audience decide to light up their blunts or pull out their pens. I mean, it’s Juicy J for crying out loud. If you’re gonna do any of that, you’re gonna do it for Juicy. Security immediately throws a fit, attempting to confiscate every vape and joint they can find. These guards are scrambling like mice in front of my own eyes, and I feel slightly distracted from the actual show. I know these people have to do their jobs too, but it’s somewhat impossible to stop everyone. 

Nevertheless, everyone’s still having a great time. 

VII.

OH MY GOD. OH MY GODDDD, GUYS. It’s getting so real. My brain feels like a ball of yarn that a cat would play with. Logic is ALMOST HERE. 

Logic’s set gets unwrapped on the stage, and Rhetorik walks up to his booth that looks like cubicle shelves in a living room. It’s almost party time! I begin to feel hot, so I reach for my BT21 Cooky rechargeable hand fan. It provides an instant feeling of cool relief, and I begin to fan everyone around me.

Rhetorik approaches the microphone. I turn around to face forward quickly, and begin to scream.

“First and foremost, thank you for coming out tonight,” he says. “My name is Rhetorik, if you’ve ever heard a song called ‘44 Bars’ by Logic-” 

The crowd erupts into cheers.

“I’m the guy!” He continues. “We did. We talked late night. We really did. Before Logic comes out, can I play a couple of unrelated songs to make sure you’re ready for this moment?”

The crowd cheers again.

“Can I get a hell yeah!? Let me get a f*ck yeah. Let me see what you’ve got.”

Rhetorik begins to play “Alright” by Kendrick Lamar. A few minutes pass, and Rhetorik begins to play the Mr. Rogers theme song. A spotlight appears, and Logic begins to walk down the stairs of his set in a bright red robe.

“LA, WHAT THE F*CK IS GOOD!” Logic yells. “I’m so happy to be here tonight. I’m happy that I can take you guys through a journey through my entire career in chronological order.”

I cover my mouth and squeal while stomping my feet.

“I just want to say thank you to anybody and everybody out there who knows me personally. If y’all are ready to have a good time, get ready, buckle up, and anybody out there who’s been sleeping on me, y’all better wake the f*ck up!” 

Right away, Logic begins to perform “Wake Up,” which happens to be one of my personal favorites from College Park. The amount of adrenaline flowing through my body at this moment feels like nothing less than a reward for hanging in there since the last time I saw him. I feel like a champion, and I wish I could feel this way 24/7. Any amount of remaining anxiety has exited my body, and it is not allowed re-entry for the next two hours. After a brief sip of water, Logic goes on to perform “Lightsabers.” Blue, green, and red lights flicker across the stage as he walks around and the rhymes flow out flawlessly. Towards the end of the song, Castro runs down the stairs of the set onto the stage to deliver his verses. 

I let out a very loud scream that probably sounds like someone is being murdered.

I can’t believe all of this is actually happening! Finally! 

Logic takes a break to chat, and he confesses to the crowd that he’s a little nervous. My eyes grow big. 

“I’m like, extra nervous,” he says. “I’m actually nervous because there’s a lot of people I know here.” 

He turns his head quickly with a grin on his face. 

“A lot.”

He looks directly at me, almost as if he’s staring into my soul. Then he looks further into the crowd.

“Let’s see this. If you know me personally or through a friend, make some noise if you know me.”

Oh, how I wish I knew Logic like that. A lot of people towards the back of the theater begin to cheer, and he has an astonished look on his face. 

“Yikes,” he says rather quietly. 

“We’ll figure this out, right?” He says as he turns to look at Rhetorik. 

Suddenly, a doorbell sound can be heard coming from the stage. It seems like Logic has a visitor! Who could it possibly be?

BRUH, IT’S SETH MACFARLANE. 

VIII.

No, no, this can’t be happening. How on Earth is something so good supposed to happen to me at a show? Logic seriously just brought out Seth MacFarlane. 

Seth walks towards Logic holding a glass of clear liquid. Is it water? Is it vodka? I don’t know. 

They both approach one another with their arms extended, then come together to give a brotherly handshake. 

“So lovely of you to have me,” Seth says in a Brian Griffin voice.

“Wow, this is weird!” Logic says with a surprised tone. “I didn’t know you were stopping by. I didn’t just have that grand piano here for no reason.”

There actually is a piano on the other side of the stage, but I wasn’t able to tell earlier since it was on the FAR opposite side of the stage I’m on.

“When I walked out, be honest… how many of you said Elon Musk is here?” Seth jokes.

Logic bursts out laughing, and it’s the cutest thing ever. OH MY GOD. “That’s a good one. Did you think of that this morning?”

“I just did as I was coming down the stairs,” Seth says.

“Okay. I like that,” Logic says. 

“I hope you don’t mind, I’m having a little vodka,” Seth says.

Oh, so it was vodka after all. 

“I… I’m not even gonna lie,” Logic stutters. “I never really drink before shows. I’m half drunk. That’s how you know I was a little nervous.” 

“Only half, huh?” Seth asks.

“Yeah,” Logic answers. “Half black, half white, half drunk, all the things. Exactly.”

“I’ve never been to the YouTube Theater,” Seth says. “The floor is as sticky as I always imagined.”

“That’s very nice,” Logic says. “Oh wait, look. Look.”

Logic points at Seth’s shoes, and starts to kneel down.

“Here,” Logic says. “Let me tie your shoe, sir.”

I let out a squeal. Why does it feel like I’m living in a fanfiction right now?

“Oh my God!” Seth gasps. “By the way, whenever I walk into a room filled with people like this and it’s not an intervention, it’s a victory. I don’t see my dad out there, so I’m doing pretty good.”

“What’s really crazy is you have the best dad jokes, and you have no children,” Logic says. “It’s a very weird thing. How about this? Why don’t we do the f*cking song.”

Seth immediately agrees.

“Why don’t you sit over there and enjoy yourself!” 

Seth makes his way to sit down on a couch.

“Don’t trip!” Logic says. Seth finally sits down and puts his drink on the table.

“Make some noise for my good friend Seth MacFarlane, ladies and gentlemen!” Logic says. As the two begin to sing “Self Medication,” I look around and smile. These are the kind of things I’ve dreamed of, and it’s so amazing to be able to live them. Oh, but one song isn’t enough. Logic asks Seth to sing another song on his own, but Seth hesitates. 

“This man is Frank Sinatra’s ghost in the flesh,” Logic says. “And you’re saying you can’t do a song?”

“Bobby, it’s just not the time…” Seth says.

“You’re stubborn,” Logic teases. “What are you, Peter Griffin? You stubborn son of a bitch. You’re like Peter Griffin.”

“This is when I’m supposed to bark like a seal, huh?” Seth asks in his Peter Griffin voice.

The crowd cheers.

“Peter! Peter!” says Logic. “Is there any way you can convince Seth to sing us a Sinatra song?”

The tension in the room is escalating.

“Well, you could’ve told me before I had seven drinks!” Seth says.

“You’re saying there’s nothing we can do here?” Logic asks.

“There’s absolutely nothing you can do, and that is final!” Seth says

“Well, what if I… suck your dick, Peter?” Logic suggests.

Everyone in the venue stares right at Seth, hoping he’ll say yes.

“Make it quick, and don’t tell Lois.” Seth says.

I scream and jump, because I’m getting more than what I imagined now! I watch Seth walk over to a red stool in the middle of the stage, and he sings oh-so-beautifully. The song concludes, and he receives a standing ovation. (As if people weren’t already standing up.)

“One of the first songs I ever actually did for one of my mixtapes was called ‘Stewie Griffin,’” Logic says as he hangs his coat on a rack behind Rhetorik. “How crazy is it that a kid who wrote a song called ‘Stewie Griffin,’ all these years later, would have the god, the creator Seth MacFarlene on the f*cking stage with him to perform.” 

At this point, in an alternate universe I’m pooping out pink heart emojis. This moment clearly means a lot to Logic, but it also means a lot to us Rattpack too! We love to see our man Bobby’s dreams come true, because it’s exactly what he deserves. 

Logic begins to thank some notable figures who are in the audience tonight, including Neil Druckman, the creator of The Last of Us. 

“It’s just so weird, man,” Logic says while walking across the stage. “All these people that changed my life were there for me. I want you to know, every single one of you… it’s much more than just them. There’s musicians here tonight, other actors here tonight, novelists… you changed my life, and it’s because of your example that I’m blessed enough to be on this stage setting another example for the next generation. Thank you so very much.” 

IX. 

A few minutes later, Logic comes back on stage wearing his red jumpsuit from The Incredible World Tour. He takes off his glasses and exchanges his Bobby Boy Records hat for his iconic FLEX hat. He performs favorites from The Incredible True Story era, including “Fade Away,” “Like Woah,” and “I Am The Greatest.” He then changes yet again, and takes the crowd into the Everybody era. As if the night already hasn’t been enough of a rollercoaster, Logic decides he can give Six Flags Magic Mountain a run for their money.

Before performing “1-800,” Logic points out a boy in the front row with his mother. The two came to the Q&A together, where the boy asked Logic how it felt to begin rekindling his relationship with his father. Logic explains to the crowd that in the moment, he tried his absolute best to not burst into tears publicly. 

“My father was never there for me,” Logic says. “My father always promised me, ‘Son, I’m gonna come see you on Saturday. I promise.’ He never showed up. My father made a lot of promises, and they never came true. As of recently, I have reconnected with that man… a man who did a lot of wrong… because I have forgiven him for the negativity he did when I was younger.”

I begin to clap.

“I have set barriers and ground rules on the level that I’m going to allow him into my life. This young man asked me, ‘What was that like, having your dad back into your life?’ I said well, there’s a version of me anywhere between 50 and 60 years old whose father is dead. He’s dead. He’s been dead, his father is in the ground. Depending on what you believe, he might be jumping up and down with, I don’t know, white bearded Jesus. Who knows. But for me, I know he won’t be there anymore. I thought about this looking into my own son’s eyes, and asked myself, what would that wiser version of me do? That version… not the version that was just a few months ago, the version that was, was like ‘f*ck this guy. He’s an asshole, he’s never there for me, never gave a sh*t.’ But the older version that I’m not was like, ‘let him back into your life. Give him an opportunity and let him meet his grandson. Do the best you can to try to have a relationship.”

The entire crowd claps and cheers for Logic.

“Now, unfortunately, I don’t have a relationship with my mother. She’s very ill, mentally ill. We’re talking about a systemically racist woman who is attracted to black men, has various babies with various black men, and due to her upbringing, sexual assault, rape, it f*cked her up, right? I grew up with my mom hitting me with the hard R n-word, and all of our siblings growing up. I just want to say, I wish I could have a relationship with my mother, but I can’t because she’s so unwell. I can’t allow her into my life nor in my son’s life, or my wife’s life. My father, I gave him the opportunity. This young man said something to me. He said, ‘how was it?’ I told him why I did it, and he said, “I have a stepfather, but I really wish I had a relationship with my dad.’ F*ck, I’m not gonna cry. F*ck you guys, you’re crying. I’m not crying!” 

Indeed, many people in the audience are weeping. I feel some tears coming as well. 

“He said, I wish – I’m sorry.” Logic gets choked up. “He said I wish I could just talk to my dad and ask him what I did wrong. And I want to tell you again in front of all these people, you have done NOTHING WRONG! You are amazing, you are beautiful, you are incredible!”

The entire audience claps louder than ever.

“I know that feeling. Friends of mine know that f*cking feeling. And you’re not alone! Who in here has had some issues with their family?”

Many people raise their hands.

“And for a long time, I couldn’t believe this kid asked me this question. I couldn’t even fathom the fact he knew how to say this sh*t out of his mouth. He’s 17 years old, this is insane! And I don’t know what the f*ck your daddy is going to tell you, but I’m going to tell you… you are good enough, you are smart enough, you are amazing enough, you’re incredible, you are EVERYTHING that makes the world beautiful, young man!”

Awwww.

“And he told me, ‘Your music was there for me, and it’s the reason I’m still alive.’ I couldn’t believe it. It was amazing. I did a song a few years back, the song that made me a household name. I made a song called ‘1-800’ about suicide prevention, and I want to tell this story because it’s f*cking important. I was doing my first album and I did everything I could to get a hit. I want a hit so bad, I didn’t get a hit. Even on my mixtapes, I tried to do it and couldn’t. On my second album about space and anime and hentai and sh*t, I couldn’t get a hit. By the time I got to my third album, I was like f*ck this sh*t, I’m not playing the game. I’m not gonna try to do what they want me to do. I’m gonna make this music from my heart, unapologetically, and low and behold, that’s when I make a song that is recognized all over the world about suicide prevention. I couldn’t believe it.” 

Everyone including me is cheering. No matter what anyone has to say about “1-800,” the song changed (and saved) so many people’s lives when it came out. I’m not exempt from that. 

“It’s important I’m saying this. I just want to tell you, if I’m blessed enough to have this many people here – if this many people are here tonight, I’m not going to talk to you about bullsh*t. I’m here to tell you the truth. Nobody was in the studio when I was making this record. Nobody was like, ‘Yo! This song about suicide is about to turn up in the club!’ Nobody was thinking that sh*t, but I did it anyway. What I’m trying to say is, it’s because of people like you, and anybody else in here that needs the music that I’m blessed enough to create with a positive message, this sh*t is for you, I love you.” 

We all sing “1-800” together, loudly and proudly. Once again, I can’t help but reflect upon how thankful I am to have this man’s music be a part of my life. Logic goes on to tell even more stories and lead the crowd in singing “Overnight” and more favorites. 

Oh, and it gets even better. Logic brings us into the No Pressure era, and performs “Perfect” and “GP4” along with TMan The Wizard. Logic then tells us he has something he’s been waiting to show us… seriously, what could it be? 

Rhetorik looks at Logic, trying to figure out what’s about to go down.

Logic quickly removes his shirt, showing off his incredible dad bod just in time to perform “DadBod.” Yes, we’re seriously getting a performance of “DadBod” with the man himself shirtless! I begin to laugh so hard while cheering him on – it takes a lot of courage to do what he’s doing right now. 

X. 

The concert is sadly coming to an end, but it seems as though Logic has already exceeded the curfew time. He seems happy, and he’s likely not too concerned about getting fined. I’ll seriously start a GoFundMe to cover the costs if that is needed. 

Logic begins to perform “City Of Stars,” one of my top 5 songs from his catalog. Everyone’s phone lights begin to flicker across the theater, like stars illuminating the night sky from a mountain peak… far, far away from Los Angeles. Light pollution usually makes it difficult to see a ton of stars on a clear night. This moment feels so incredible. I’ve been waiting years to hear this song performed live. I wish that I could hold onto this feeling of pure bliss forever, and I will try my best to do exactly that. 

Unfortunately, Logic begins to wave goodbye, and the house lights inside the theater turn on. “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio plays over the theater’s sound system, and I stand at the barricade in shock. I can’t believe it’s over. I refuse to believe it’s over! But is it really over? There’s a round two tomorrow, and it’s going to be VERY special. 

I walk out of the theater with Daisy and a bunch of other Rattpack members, and we stick around to take some pictures outside. The hot dog vendors are starting to leave, which means it must be pretty late. I check the time on my phone, and I see it’s almost midnight. Daisy and I attempt to locate her car, and we enter the vehicle. 

“I’m so sad it’s over,” I say. “Also, sorry for stinking up the car. I smell worse than the San Diego Zoo.”

“You’re fine!” Daisy says. “And yes, it was so good! Wait, look at that!” 

We drive past the Kia Forum and glance at the endearing rainbow lights being projected onto the roof. 

“It’s so cute!” I say. I then go to check my phone to make sure my motel reservation is still intact.

“OH SHIT!” I say as I feel a sense of terror. “The reservation got canceled out of nowhere.” 

I am SO screwed.

Part two will be released on July 5 ♡