Most people know Donald Glover for his portrayal as the character of Troy Barnes on the NBC sitcom Community.  However, the comedian/writer/actor was already somewhat of a breakout star on the internet and behind the scenes before ever gaining his National fame in front of the television cameras.

The 27 year old comedian first began to accumulate notoriety as part of the sketch comedy troupe, DERRICK COMEDY.  Alumnis of the Upright Citizen Brigade theater in NYC, the team’s widespread acknowledgment really began to pour in after posting such popular original Youtube skits as “Bro Rape” (feat. Bobby Moynihan – now of SNL) and “Blowjob Girl“, starring Ellie Kemper (aka: Erin from The Office).  DERRICK COMEDY even created the feature-length comedy, MYSTERY TEAM, which co-starred Moynihan, Kemper, and Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation, Funny People, Scott Pilgrim VS The World) and was accepted into the Sundance film festival.  It was his starring role in that film, which eventually resulted in him being contacted to play Troy on Community.

Right before graduating from New York University in 2006, Glover was contacted and offered a position as a writer on the, then startup, television program 30 Rock.  It was a daunting task, but one that he was hugely successful at, developing the character of Toofer, writing the majority of the dialog for Tracy Morgan‘s character throughout the first season, and gaining a nomination for a Writer’s Guild of America Award for his work in 2009.

His decision to leave the writing cast of, arguably, one of the best comedies on television, was a ballsy one, but it is one that has worked in his favor.  Now recognized for his talents as a force in the world of standup and acting -as well as for his campaign to get a casting audition for Spiderman– Glover is taking a multi-level, multi-media, nationwide live show on the road.  Also performing will be his rapping alter-ego, “Childish Gambino“; a name which was automatically generated for him by a WU-Tang “Wu-Name” application, back in the day [I believe that, when I did it, mine was “Fishmonger-X”]

What will this live show entail?  Well, there’s no need to speculate folks, because the star of the show has chosen to write his press release all by himself, and it is one that is incredibly detailed.  In fact, it’s almost at a “spoiler-alert” level of detailed.  Basically, he tells you exactly what he’s gonna do and in what order.  Below is the info straight from his release, with tour dates at the bottom.

CORRECTION/UPDATE!

Apparently, there was some confusion as to what exactly we should have received, what exactly constituted the “press release“, and/or what exactly we should have posted.  That explains our own confusion as to why the decision to divulge such ridiculously specific details about the performances to the general public was made; the answer, of course, being that it wasn’t intentional.

Out of respect to everyone involved and because our own intention was only to aid in the promotion of the tour and not to hinder it in anyway, you will notice that the majority of the previous “press release” text (recently occupying the space below) has been removed.  The specific details are gone, but what we CAN -or at the very least “will”- tell you is that the show will be a multimedia extravaganza featuring music, comedy and video, relying both on personal details/anecdotes from Glover‘s actual life, as well as over-the-top fantastic elements of the comedically absurd.

We’ve removed the middle section of the the text, which included all of the specific details about exactly what would occur throughout the shows.  What we have left below is the intro and conclusion of the text, which focuses on the intention and feeling behind the show in Donald‘s own words…

“The IAMDONALD Tour is interactive experience that uses live music, comedy, and video to convey the personal experience of being me, Donald Glover. People should leave the show feeling like they’re best friends with Donald Glover.”

“In essence IAMDONALD is a show about not letting anyone define you.  A lot of my fans tweet or email me saying how they like that I do a lot of things and are held back by people saying “You’re a writer.  Why are you acting?” or “You can’t rap about Tina Fey, you’re an actor.” The show has a “fuck whatever. I’m young, I can do whatever I want” motto throughout it.  You should feel as invincible and as vulnerable as I do on a daily basis in two-hour span.

Thanks for your time and shit.“

On March 8th, Donald will be releasing his lates EP under his “Childish Gambino” moniker.
Here is the video for the first single from that release, “Freaks And Geeks“
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/20374589[/vimeo]

TOUR DATES:

[PLEASE NOTE: Although we are not completely familiar with the specifics on the majority of the venues listed, Seattle’s NEUMOS is relatively small for an event such as this, so you’ll probably want to get your tickets in advance.  Seattle Tix go on sale on Friday, March 4th at 10am through this link.  Keep an eye on IAMDONALD.com for more info about your specific location.]

16-Apr-Ames, IA – Iowa State Center

18-Apr-Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre

19-Apr-Salt Lake City, UT – Vertigo at the Complex

21-Apr-Seattle, WA – Neumos

22-Apr-Vancouver, BC – The Rio Theatre

23-Apr-Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater

26-Apr-Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up

27-Apr-Los Angeles, CA – The Music Box (Henry Fonda Theatre)

28-Apr-San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore

30-Apr-Las Vegas, NV – Hard Rock Café

2-May-Dallas, TX – The Loft

3-May-Houston, TX  –  Warehouse Live Studio

4-May-Austin, TX – Emo’s Alternative Lounge – Outside

6-May-Atlanta, GA  – Variety Playhouse

8-May-Washington, DC –  Black Cat

9-May-Baltimore, MD  – Rams Head Live

10-May-New York, NY – The Bowery Ballroom

11-May-Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts

13-May-Boston, MA  – Paradise Rock Club

14-May-Brooklyn, NY  – Music Hall of Williamsburg

16-May-Toronto, ONT – The Opera House

17-May-Detroit, MI – Magic Stick

18-May-Chicago, IL – Park West

19-May-Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater