No Tricks, Just Treats With Benny The Butcher On Halloween

The last three days of October in Texas were taken over by Benny The Butcher & The Black Soprano Family in three prodigious shows that have gradually become a new hot spot for Benny to return on future tour dates. After announcing his Nightmare In Texas tour back in August, anticipation to see the Johnny’s P Caddy emcee in a live setting was dire since, previously, Austin had been the only city in Texas to see the Butcher live during his Burden Of Plugs tour. He announced three cities: Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, as his tour stops, where he had a few guests alongside him each day. Dallas had the First Lady of Griselda, Armani Caesar, hitting the stage at Factory, while Houston had Maxo Kream & Bun B backstage at Warehouse Live, with Maxo hitting the stage with him later the night. While San Antonio didn’t have a special guest, it was, however, the highlight of the tour falling on Halloween Day, with high expectations building up throughout the night.

The San Antonio date started with Corpus Christi’s FatboyShaun opening up the stage at Paper Tiger, whose vigorous energy & style surely had many ongoers cheering in, witnessing a prominent performance for the start of their night. Other incredible talents followed his lead, like Jarrett Michael, who put on a hell of a performance that made you feel like he was performing in front of millions in the crowd; he’s a special type of artist that you will surely know his name a lot more in the upcoming year. Another highlight was Vermin the Villain, whose performance was so versatile that it fit the show’s sound so perfectly; then added his own unique touch to the rest of his set, making it memorable for the night. Many more artists followed after the opening selection, especially ones that had accompanied Benny on tour, like Klacc, Vino, El Camino, Rick Hyde & many more. At last, it was time for Benny to make his first appearance in San Antonio, and he did not disappoint. He performed hits off his Tana Talk 3 tape, among many more in his catalog, including feature cuts and ending his time performing tracks off his AOTY contender “Tana Talk 4”. During his set, you can tell from Benny’s facial expression that he was surprised to see the love for his music reaching from Buffalo to Texas in a supportive manner. His first visit to the countdown city made it much more special to see the crowd show so much appreciation for him; it was an unforgettable night for those in attendance & will become a standout moment for the city’s music scene.

I had some time after the show to speak with Benny’s tour manager Jacob Andrew Yaw Amankwaah on how intense the journey had been during the time on the road for the tour, which he stated has been a great experience mainly because Benny is a great artist as well as a great client to deal with on tour. He’s seen Benny gravitate to the dedication that his fans have for him especially visiting Texas, where the support is astronomical, and the venues are intimate enough that he really engages with the crowd that generally doesn’t see him enough, which he mentioned would change drastically moving forward. He even spoke about his duty as tour manager, with the grind being tough work but being reminded when looking at the crowd seeing attendees singing word for word, and being present with support making it all worth it at the end of the day. He pointed out a fan as an example who was in the front of the crowd that stayed smiling while reciting every line as the reason for going forward with outcomes like that to see at every show.

Benny’s A Nightmare In Texas tour was a successful run, with nothing but support and praise throughout his time in the Lone Star State. We heard many voices behind the scene that the shows in Houston and Dallas were amazing; however, it was San Antonio that took the crown for the best turnout factor. Benny The Butcher was in his prime, like Tim Duncan in the finals back in 07; his presence will be back again in no time, I’m sure, but of course, he can now name San Antonio as one of his newest homes.