Donald Glover, a.k.a. Childish Gambino, performs to a sold-out crowd at the Rave on Friday on a tour to support his latest album, “Because the Internet.” Credit: Alexander Stafford/The Rave

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Donald Glover is too talented to be a rising star in just one field.

By 2011, Glover already had a growing following thanks to his stand-up and role as Troy Barnes on Milwaukee native Dan Harmon's NBC sitcom "Community." Then he applied his quick wit to "Camp," his first official studio album as rapper Childish Gambino.

But even an artist as gifted and ambitious as Gambino has his limitations — something that was apparent at a sold-out Eagles Ballroom show at the Rave Friday, as part of Gambino's "Deep Web Tour."

The tour's tied to Gambino's December release "Because the Internet," a statement album with a capital "s." The playful pop-culture references from "Camp," criticized by some as cartoonish, were replaced with more serious reflections and heavier production. The stage show Friday was the physical manifestation of Gambino's new, grand intentions. Behind the stage was a digital screen that at times resembled the interior of a CGI-mansion, twitchy schematics and a computer screen. It provided for some vibrant visuals, but they also distracted from Gambino himself. All the hustling and hopping and squat-walking would have likely had a greater impact if Gambino wasn't competing with his own backdrop for attention.

Not that his charisma didn't carry through during parts of the "Internet" set. The Eagles Ballroom was transformed into a soccer stadium for "II. Worldstar," with thousands chanting the track's title in singsong unison. And Gambino gave his speedy flow a good workout on "IV. Sweatpants," during which the otherwise, by-the-book four-piece band flexed some muscles.

For the encore, the "Internet" visuals were shut down, and in its place emerged the image of a forest and a burning fire — indicative of "Camp." And that's when Gambino and the crowd burned brightest. The backdrop stayed locked on that visual, giving Gambino a chance to grab the spotlight at his own show. The propulsive drums on "Heartbeat" were no match for the skuzzy synth grooves that appeared on the recording, but then the recording didn't have the sound of a few thousand people impressively keeping up with Gambino's heart-racing rhymes.

The mass singalongs were even more impressive for "Bonfire." The track is overloaded with rhymes and references — including shout-outs to cult cartoon "Invader Zim" and gross-out horror flick "Human Centipede" — so for that many fans to sing along speaks to the power and appeal of Gambino's words.

But the fans couldn't sing along at the very end, when Gambino sped through some freestyle over jazzy instrumentation. And in that moment, Gambino showed that his natural talent is still his greatest special effect.

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THE TAKEAWAYS

■ As a warmup for the Deep Web Tour, fans' tweets were projected in real time on the stage's big screen before showtime.

■ The best seats in the house weren't in the balcony but on the stage: A few fans got to sit on couches as part of the set, among the musicians, and right behind Gambino.