“I don’t need the house lights!” yelled YoungBoy as he crouched in the center of the stage. As the arena went dark, the stadium lit back up with the glow of thousands of cell phones. Dressed in all white, the shimmer of his belt, the chain hanging from his jeans, and the pendant swaying from his neck caught the glow. When the chorus of “Lonely Boy” began, it was almost immediately drowned out by the voices of the crowd. YoungBoy had returned to Houston with his Make America Slime Again Tour.
The tour’s stop at Toyota Center on Saturday marked his first headlining run in five years after stepping away from the stage due to legal hurdles and personal challenges. Launched in Dallas at the beginning of September, the tour stretched across 45 arenas and highlighted YoungBoy’s reintroduction to live audiences on a grand scale. In Houston, openers Offset, DeeBaby, EBK Jaaybo, and k3 warmed up the crowd before YoungBoy’s arrival.
The last time YoungBoy performed in Houston was on March 6, 2020, at the Revention Center. That show carried unusual circumstances since his team rented out the venue and handled ticketing themselves, leaving no official box office figures to report. In the days leading up to the event it appeared sales might lag, but on the night of the concert hundreds of fans lined up downtown to buy tickets at the door. By showtime the 3,700-capacity venue was packed wall to wall, filled with smoke and energy as the Baton Rouge MC connected with fans through a marathon of mixtape hits.
That sold out performance proved his power to command Houston even without traditional promotion. The Revention Center is now called the Bayou City Music Hall, but regardless of the name, YoungBoy has moved beyond its capacity, packing out the Toyota Center’s 19,000 seats.
The Baton Rouge MC hits the Toyota Center Stage.
Photo By Cody Barclay
The stage show itself also reflected his growth. What once was a no-frills display of raw mixtape energy has evolved into a full-scale production. From YoungBoy emerging above the stage in a floating coffin, to a towering two-story likeness of himself tearing a house from its foundation, to his troop of dancers firing prop guns into the fiery night sky, the Make America Slime Again Tour displayed the progression of an artist who has transformed his underground momentum into arena-sized spectacle.
YoungBoy even showed love to OTB Fastlane, who joined him on stage to perform “Look Like Money” and “Crank,” giving the marquee artist a reprieve from the forty-song setlist. The pacing was relentless, a nonstop rush of high-energy anthems. YoungBoy, his dancers, and his entourage poured everything into each track, moving the crowd through “Shot Callin,” “Right Foot Creep,” and “MASA” without ever letting the energy fade.
The energy of the night surged from the moment Offset played his opening set. Pausing between songs, he reflected on personal loss as he addressed the crowd. Takeoff, his cousin and longtime collaborator in Migos, was shot and killed in Houston in November 2022, a tragedy that left a lasting mark on the rap community. “Houston, I haven’t been to the city since I lost my brother,” Offset said as he paced across the stage. “If you loved Takeoff, let me hear you yell Takeoff!” The arena erupted in response before Offset launched into a rapid run of hits from his and Takeoff’s group, Migos, giving the night an emotional charge that set the tone for what was to come.
The MASA Tour shows YoungBoy’s progression as a performer.
Photo By Cody Barclay
The show underscored how far YoungBoy has come as a performer. What once relied purely on raw energy and the pull of mixtape favorites now balances that same intensity with production designed for arenas. Surrounded by dancers, massive stage pieces, and a crowd that matched him word for word, he showed that his music still drives the connection, no matter the scale. The floating coffin, the towering set pieces, and the nonstop run of songs gave structure to the spectacle, but the core of the night was the exchange between YoungBoy and the people who came to see him.
That exchange has been the constant through his career. Even with the stage now larger and the production more elaborate, his presence on the mic carried the same urgency as it did in smaller venues. The growth was visible in how the show was built, yet the essence remained the same: YoungBoy performing as if each verse was a conversation with those who have followed him from the beginning. The arena setting magnified the moment, but it was the familiarity of that connection that defined it.
Setlist
MASA
Dangerous Love
Kacey Talk
Lil Top
I Came Thru
Right Foot Creep
Bitch Let’s Do It
No Smoke
Sexin Me
Kick Yo Door
I Got the Bag
Wagwan
Bad Morning
Bad Bad
Look Like Money – OTB Fastlane
Crank – OTB Fastlane
Intermission
Gravity
I Got This
Ranada
Nevada
Untouchable
Games Of War
Smoke Strong
Finest
Shot Callin
Survivor
Slime Belief
Fresh Prince of Utah
Valuable Pain
Death Enclaimed
Life Support
All In
Heart & Soul
Vette Motors
Bring ‘Em Out
Outside Today
Top Tingz
Kickboxer
Chopper City
The Last Backyard…
Lonely Child
I Hate YoungBoy