Last night, we had the honor to get a early look at J. Cole’s upcoming HBO concert film, Forest Hills Drive: Homecoming. The film takes place in Cole’s hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina. Cole has been giving us some in depth looks into his recording process, the stress that takes part in putting together a tour and everything in between in the 4-part documentary series he has been releasing on Wednesday’s for the last month. We see Cole like we have never seen him before, which made me appreciate his music that much more.
Getting a ticket to get an exclusive early look at the concert film in our hometown of Chicago had a lot of luck involved. I somehow managed to get through the ticket process when the link went live and was emailed with a confirmation shortly after. I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived at the Logan Theatre, but I hoped for the best. We were quickly greeted with some popcorn, nachos, candy and a drink as soon as we stepped foot into the theatre. Cole and his team really went all out making sure his fans were well fed and comfortable. We then proceeded to get our seats in one of the four theaters reserved for the film.
The film started promptly at 7pm and had very strict cell phone restrictions (one of our friends learned that 3 songs in). If you have seen Cole in the past year, you will see a lot of what you experienced in your city. This film, however, is a bit more special since it was Cole’s grand return to his hometown of Fayetteville. The film follows a handful of fans from the city as well that we get to know throughout the film. They speak on their experience of living in Fayetteville, whether its good or bad. Those fans are also invited to the taping of the concert, so we get to see the passion they have for their hometown hero, kind of how I would experience a Kanye West or Lupe Fiasco show at the United Center.
Some of the highlights from the film are when Cole performs songs like “G.O.M.D.,” “No Role Modelz” and “A Tale of 2 Citiez,” as you might have come to expect if you saw him perform this album. Watching the film in a room full of fans is certainly a moment I won’t forget since it felt like we were actually at the show. This was not your typical night at a movie theater, because singing along and talking during the film wasn’t frowned upon. Towards the end of the film, Cole’s mother speaks on watching his sons rise and how she is not surprised he has accomplished everything he has in the last few years. Fittingly, Cole’s performance of “Apparently” soon follows. This film is a definite must watch for any die hard or casual fan of J. Cole. I would recommend getting a group of friends together to watch the film to try to recreate what we experienced at the theatre. Lastly, shoutout to Cole and Dreamville for the gift bag!
