SpringFest brings musical delights

            Every year, during the last weekend of April right before classes are set to end, the University shuts down for a small party to help keep the students motivated.  They put on activities like BBQs, Quidditch matches, Rugby, the SRC Late Nighter, Lottanobooza, Mud Volleyball and the almighty Watermelon Toss. One of the most attended events of the weekend is the annual SpringFest Concert.

Past years have featured performances from such artists as Tokyo Police Club, Murs and Aesop Rock, Portugal the Man, and many others. However, this year’s show will top them all, says Rosemary Paz of the UAF Concert Board.

            “Yes, I am very excited for this show.  I think this has to be the most well produced show we’ve put on,” said Paz about this year’s performer Macklemore. “With all of the parts that go into making a show a great show such as the contract, and execute agreements for hotels, passes, tickets, sound, lightin, and the ads for all types of media.  You can’t forget the security guards either.”  Paz said as she shook her head and laughed, “You can’t forget the security guards for these types of shows.”

            As 8 P.M. rolled around on Friday, April 27^th, you could hear the roar of about 1300 people waiting to get into the Patty Center to see Macklemore.  With Alaska Redd, local rapper from Fairbanks, opening, Macklemore, his producer and partner Ryan Lewis, and their trumpet player Owour Arunga grabbed the attention of the audience and got everyone energized.  Everything from the different colored lights of purple and yellow dancing across a smoky stage to blue lights covering the ceiling could pull you in to all of the energy that was bouncing around the room that night.  The way that Macklemore delivered his words didn’t just sound like a rap song, it sounded like a story.  He played two different people on the stage, one was the rapper that we were all there to see, but he was also a motivational speaker, telling us to follow our dreams and that life is going to get you down but you can’t let it stop you.  He also had a great sense of humor as one of the several times he made the crowd chant, he included a pelvic thrust to the phrase and said afterwards, “If everyone would pelvic thrust more, there would be no war.”

            There was a wide range of ages that attended from people that were born pre-1980s to the people who were born in the latter half of the 1990s.  Out of the 1300 people that attended, only one person was kicked out of the show.  “There is no reason for you to fight at a hip-hop show, ever” Macklemore responded as the security guards dragged him out of the Patty Center.

            As an attendee at the concert, I was very glad that I went.  It was a great experience overall with the lights, the music, and the huge mass of people that attended with me. The show was incredibly well produced and is hopefully a sign of great things to come from SAO and the UAF Concert Board.