There were no strange clouds in sight last night (July 22) at New York’s Highline Ballroom; just B.o.B raining a collection of crowd-pleasing bangers upon a thunderous audience.

Bobby Ray wasted no time grabbing his guitar as soon as he hit the stage. After waving to the clamorous crowd, Ray set the Myspace & Trojan Charged Condoms Free Secret Show in motion with “Don’t Let Me Fall,” the first song off his first album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray. With a live band and three vocalists behind him, B.o.B was able to jazz up the slow-paced song and energize the crowd.

While Grand Hustle’s most promising young star wore shades, cargos and a red snapback to match his kicks and chain, his drummer notably sported a sleeveless T-shirt with the Batman logo on it and a black headband, the latter being what the Denver Nuggets’ summer league team wore in the course of a game to mourn Friday’s (July 20) shooting tragedy that occurred in Aurora, Colorado during the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises. It is unknown whether the drummer did that to echo the noble gesture, yet it appears so.

In anticipation of the next songs to come, the former XXL Freshman took off his shades and asked the crowd to “please refrain from throwing shit on stage.” Good thing he did because as soon as he started performing “Out of My Mind,” the audience erupted. The popular record is the newest single to his sophomore LP, Strange Clouds, and the video for which was directed by Benny Boom and has already been shot. Although he advised spectators to not throw things on stage, he, in fun, squirted some water into the crowd during his performance of “Bet I,” which included Playboy Tre coming out to perform his verse.

His track “Ray Bands” kept the large turnout buoyant, especially with the help of two lively and appealing dancers. With the ladies on stage, it was only right that B.o.B transitioned to “Nothin’ On You,” a record that garnered him several Grammy nominations. B.o.B would go onto perform “Castles,” “Both of Us” and “Never Let You Go,” that latter which was the second and final song he used a guitar for. When it was time for “Where Are You (B.o.B vs. Bobby Ray),” he showcased another one of his many talents, playing the piano.

After performing “Airplanes” and “Strange Clouds,” B.o.B would nonchalantly say, “Enjoy the rest of your evening,” before abruptly exiting, an exquisite set-up for an encore. Following shortly would be boisterous “B.o.B” chants, and he would not disappoint, returning to the stage to perform ”So Good.”

“Remember to always wrap it up,” B.o.B would say at the end of his 50-minute performance, fitting since the event was sponsored Trojan. “I’m gone.”—Christopher Minaya

More From XXL