Kehlani brought her World Tour to Merriweather Post Pavilion Sunday night, and the DMV did exactly what the DMV does: showed up and made sure the energy was impossible to ignore.
The Sept. 6 stop in Columbia, Maryland, featured Durand Bernarr, TheARTI$t, WASEEL and Dixson before Kehlani took the stage. From the opening performances through the final song, Merriweather felt alive, with a crowd that rarely needed encouragement to get on its feet.
Apparently, that energy didn’t go unnoticed.
The audience was loud, engaged and singing along throughout the night, creating an atmosphere that felt less like thousands of people watching a performance and more like thousands of people participating in one.
Kehlani matched that enthusiasm with a set that moved comfortably through different eras of her career. The show included newer records such as “Anotha Luva,” “Shoulda Never,” “No Such Thing,” “You Got It,” and “Pocket,” alongside favorites including “Toxic,” “Can I,” “Hate the Club,” “Nights Like This,” and “Distraction,” before closing with an extended version of “Folded.”
Watch the official music video for “Folded” by Kehlani on YouTube:
One of the night’s strongest elements was the way Kehlani expanded the songs beyond their studio versions. Tracks flowed into familiar R&B and hip-hop references — from Aaliyah and Brandy to Janet Jackson, Omarion, and Missy Elliott — creating flashes of nostalgia throughout the show without taking the focus away from Kehlani’s own catalog.
But the show was bigger than the setlist.
Kehlani has a knack for making a large venue feel surprisingly intimate. Between the choreography, vocals, visuals, and interactions with the audience, there was a genuine connection between the stage and the crowd. Even during the quieter songs, Merriweather remained locked in.
By the time “Folded” closed the night, the DMV had already made its presence known.
After the show, Kehlani shared on her Instagram Story that the DMV had taken the No. 1 spot in the tour’s contest for the most lit audience. For anyone inside Merriweather Sunday night, the ranking probably wasn’t much of a surprise.
Kehlani brought the World Tour to Merriweather. The DMV made sure she remembered the stop.
