On May 5th, Saba will return to Chicago for a triumphant stop in the aptly titled Back Home tour. The homecoming show at the Aragon Ballroom follows a string of sold-out performances across North America with stellar reviews all over social media. 

This Thursday will likely be the artist’s biggest show ever as a headliner and it’s already shaping up to be a can’t-miss celebratory evening for him, Pivot Gang, and the city. 

In support of his newest album, Few Good Things, there are a lot of exciting things we can’t wait to witness at the show. We’ve listed five that we’re really looking forward to below. If you haven’t done so already, we highly recommend you get tickets here.

1. The set design

One thing that always sets Saba apart is the care and thought he gives to performing live and providing a memorable experience for the attendee. As the stages have gotten bigger, Sab continues to elevate his show by investing in his set designs and light show. For the Care For Me tour, Saba recreated his grandma’s kitchen as seen on the album’s artwork; and for the Back Home tour, he and his team have taken a model of the Division and Austin bus stop on the road while adding sick details like a CTA sign with a Pivot Gang logo decal on it. 

2. Hearing Few Good Things live for the first time

Saba will undoubtedly play classics from Care For Me and Bucket List Project, but this will be his first Chicago show since the release of Few Good Things. This means we get to listen to our new favorite songs in an unprecedented setting (I personally can’t wait to hear “Fearmonger”). 

From my experience, the energy in these types of scenarios tends to fill the room with anticipation that bursts into joy as soon as the speakers start blaring. Playing a new record also presents opportunities to surprise the audience, which brings us to our third point…

3. A potential second-half to “Soldier”

Track #9 on Few Good Things ends abruptly halfway through Saba’s outro, which has led people to speculate around a potential secret verse (or even song) that was left out of the album. As the tour has kicked into gear, these speculations have grown louder alongside rumblings that Saba has been performing that secret verse at shows. We haven’t been able to confirm the veracity of those statements, but “Soldier,” featuring all of Pivot Gang, is one of the standout tracks from the album, so it’s definitely piqued our interest. And speaking of Pivot…

4. Celebrating Pivot Gang

The West Side boy band has harnessed its powers by holding each other down for over a decade and getting people to chant “Pivot!” all the way from small open mike events to large-scale festivals attended by the thousands. They’ve built this movement together and Thursday night is another achievement unlocked for all of them. We know for a fact that MFnMelo (who, in case you forgot, released one of our favorite albums of 2021 alongside the late squeakPIVOT) is slated to open, but FrshWaters is also tagging along after opening during the first leg of the tour and we’d be surprised if Joseph Chilliams misses it. We can’t wait to watch them all pop out. This one is for the hometown heroes. 

5. Potential Surprise Appearances

This is arguably the most important show in the Back Home tour and we have a feeling Saba is going to ensure that that night is extra special. Starting with the all-star lineup of openers —the aforementioned MFnMelo, femdot. and Amindi—to the live band that will accompany Saba’s set, the effort that’s been put into making sure the show has a long-lasting impression on the attendee is undeniable. For Chicago, this could also mean Sab brings out some of his friends from the crib —who else is trying to see Jean Deaux slide through for a live rendition of “Photosynthesis” or “Moody” or both??—or the out-of-town folks he’s collaborated with recently and shake the room.