'No Place Like Home' brings Jack Harlow, Louisville Orchestra together for special night
Sequins, floor-length gowns, and tuxedos comingled with t-shirts, jeans, and a few camouflage hunting jackets Saturday at the Kentucky Center as Grammy-nominated rap star Jack Harlow performed with Teddy Abrams and the Louisville Orchestra.
Playing two sold-out shows Friday and Saturday, Harlow's fans and orchestra audience regulars made for an interesting and exuberant mix as the Louisville native continued his fourth annual "No Place Like Home" tour, which launched in 2021. During the inaugural year, the "No Place Like Home" tour included five concerts in venues throughout Harlow's hometown.
"Then in 2022, we played KFC YUM Center for the first time," Harlow said during his Saturday performance. "In 2023, we went to cities across Kentucky ... now we're here with the Louisville Orchestra and we want to keep this going, we have to keep this going, so what should we do in 2025? I'm open to suggestions."
Nattily attired in a double-breasted black suit, Harlow encouraged the mostly seated audience to join in as he performed 24 of his hits, including "Lovin' On Me," "Tyler Herro," "First Class," and the live debut of "Ambitious," plus a few surprises such as Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" — during which two audience members got engaged — and Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon," which he dedicated to his grandmother, who was in attendance Saturday. On Friday, he dedicated the same song to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who attended the show as part of his birthday weekend celebration.
Harlow performed a live debut of his latest single, "Hello Miss Johnson" as his encore, closing out the nearly 90-minute performance.
Performing with the full power and energy of the orchestra, the rapper was accompanied by eight phenomenal backup singers, and occasionally, the audience could catch glimpses of Abrams singing the lyrics as he conducted.
Abrams and Harlow began talking about the possible collaboration years ago. As the collaboration came together, they began working with Brad Ritchie, an accomplished music arranger from Floyd County Indiana, who recently worked on the film "Wicked."
Abrams said Harlow was extremely involved in creating the show, which was presented to a sold-out audience over the weekend.
"This is one of the most memorable things we have put on as an orchestra," Abrams said during a Louisville Orchestra segment on Instagram.
In anticipation of this significant event, the Louisville Orchestra's website suggested that concertgoers wear black tie attire to the concert. Many of Harlow's fans arrived at the Kentucky Center dressed in tuxedos and evening gowns with their hair styled in updos and a few accessorized in elbow-length opera gloves.
During a break in the music, Harlow brought a female fan to the edge of the stage for a photograph after he noticed her holding a sign that read she'd come all the way from Anchorage, Alaska. Another group of female fans traveled from Brazil to see Harlow perform. Another fan, hoping to get a photo with the rap star, hollered up to the stage that she had come all the way from St. Matthews.
While she didn't get a photo, she did get a big laugh from Harlow, and the audience.
Proceeds from Harlow's fourth "No Place Like Home" tour will benefit the Louisville Orchestra, including educational and community programs that, to date, have provided 35,000 people across Kentucky with access to free orchestral music, said Louisville Orchestra Chief Executive Graham Parker.
Reach features reporter Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com.