Giveon Gives Moment of Silence for D’Angelo at Sold-Out Irving Show

R&B sensation Giveon’s Dear Beloved, The Tour made a midweek stop at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving on Tuesday, Oct. 14, with the Grammy Award-nominating artist setting the stage and singing his hits from 2022’s Give or Take and 2025’s Beloved.

This sold-out show was the perfect start to cuffing season in the city. The album is a love letter to R&B, possessing the timeless feel of ’70s soul sides while maintaining a distinctly 21st-century sensibility. The venue was full of lovers, leavers and loners anticipating a night that would surely dig you deep in your feelings.

As the lights lowered, Giveon took the stage in a floor-length brown coat draped over a classic suit and leather gloves, making a nod to past legendary superstars who had prominently worn fur coats. The symbol of the fur is flashy, but the set design was simple and reminiscent of ‘60s and ‘70s music variety shows from Motown stars like The Temptations. The show mirrored those vintage vibes down to holding the classic condenser microphone with colorful lights illuminating a three-tiered curtain. The venue screen displayed the show in black and white, and the band wore uniform black and white suits, performing simple, synchronized steps throughout the show.

“I can tell we’re going to have a great night tonight. Welcome to the Beloved Tour,” he said.

Giveon’s husky vocals brought roars from the crowd as he slid through tracks from Beloved like “Mud” and “Rather Be.” He eventually dropped the fur and went into “Still Your Best” from his compilation album, When It’s All Said and Done… Take Time.

This concert took place on one of the saddest days in R&B, with the passing of beloved singer and songwriter D’Angelo from a battle with cancer. Giveon observed a moment of silence in honor of his fellow musician. “We lost a very, very important, founder, Godfather and pioneer, especially in the space of rhythm and blues,” he said. 

As the spotlight hit the stage and heads bowed throughout the venue, the room felt heavy and somber for a moment. D’Angelo’s impact is prevalent in every genre, and his love of music will forever be imprinted in music history. 

In addition to music, there were stories behind his songs, revealing his hiatus was due to being in love; we learned his disdain for passive-aggressive partners. “The number one thing that I hate is a passive-aggressive person, if you don’t know what that is, it’s just some who is upset and won’t tell you what they’re upset about, and you’ve got to play all these weird ass mind games,” he said.

As he and his backup singers sat on stools, he belted out his collaboration with Drake, “Chicago (Freestyle),” and the crowd almost sang over him. 

Giveon revealed he likes to revisit the headspace of when he wrote certain songs during the performance to give fans an authentic experience. “It just blows my mind how you can feel this way about a person, these true emotions and true feelings and true stories, you can go from all of that to being strangers,” he said. The song titled “Strangers” evoked a crowd roar as the beat dropped and the crowd belted out the words, “How can we go from ‘I love you’ to ‘how you been?’” 

Giveon was not only the singer but the maestro. In addition to his music, we had covers from the band, one being Teddy Pendergrass’ “Love T.K.O.” While the band strummed and gave a jam session, Giveon told us he wanted to go on a date and didn’t want to wait until after the show. He searched through the crowd of eager women waiting to sit down with the smooth singer, and one was found. A sheet covered the pair, and we watched the silhouettes of him and his new flame over a candlelight table with two wine glasses as he serenaded her with his 2018 single “Garden Kisses.” The two danced as the curtain disappeared, their faces were revealed, a sprinkle of romance and a dash of sultry sweetness that was perfect for an R&B show. 

The suit jacket came off, and we heard “Keeper,” “Like I Want You,” “Stuck On You” and “I Can Tell.” The vibes were electric as everyone sang songs about needing back their favorite failed relationships. Then he topped it off with “Twenties,” revealing regret of spending his 20s in a relationship that no longer exists.

Picking up a sign in the crowd reading, “Giveon, I’d sell my family 4 you,” he ended the show with the Billboard Hot 100 song “Heartbreak Anniversary.”

While he is still new to the game, Giveon was perfect, weaving in classics from his catalogue, engaging storytelling and unforgettable songs that pulled at our heartstrings, especially for the fall season. Giveon provided a show that was sweet, taking us down memory lane in more ways than one.