Until The Ribbon Breaks
The Main Stage was barren as can be in the midday sun, as Until The Ribbon Breaks were setting up their equipment. When they were ready to take the stage, front man Pete Lawrie Winfield cut through the silent spring air with the drawn-out wailing of his trumpet, alerting the nearby festivalgoers and drawing in an audience. Technical difficulties struck only midway through their second song, “Perspective,” as keyboardist James Gordon claimed his laptop was getting “too hot.” Luckily, the song cut out at a very convenient break, and the slight hiccup didn’t discourage the band in the slightest. The extra time allowed Lawrie Winfield to interact with the crowd a bit, even poking fun at himself, as the Britain native made note of his poor preparation for the weather, sporting denim pants and a light jacket. Once the issues were taken care of, it was smooth sailing for the group. “A Taste of Silver” was a soulful highlight, and ending with synth-heavy “Goldfish” brought the performance full circle, as Until The Ribbon Breaks made their exit with the prolonged howling of Lawrie Winfield’s trumpet.
—Brandon Danial
Mick Jenkins
Drink more water.
By combining themes common to modern hip-hop concerts and the pertinent message of being socially aware—as Mick Jenkins stated in concert, the concept of “water” and “staying hydrated” in his latest release “The Water[s]” is a metaphor for social issues and being socially aware. The rising star out of Chicago provided festivalgoers with an above-average rap concert.
While many rap concerts result in the lead artist simply yelling at the crowd and evoking responses while continual bass bangs in the back of one’s head, Jenkins graced the Revelry main stage with proven lyrical ability.
As his overalls and camouflage hat exemplified Jenkins’ fashion sense, his music proved that he has a future in rap: a future in creating awareness through his art form.
Drink more water.
—Paul Blazevich
AlunaGeorge
In the spirit of G-Eazy’s 2014 Revelry performance, Aluna Francis—handler of singing and songwriting duties for AlunaGeorge—donned an array of Wisconsin gear and a Mifflin tank top, prompting cheers of camaraderie from concertgoers.
In contrast to preceding acts on the Main Stage, AlunaGeorge contributed an electronically focused set, adding a drummer to the typical duo of singer Francis and producer George Reid. As their set progressed, Francis’ stage presence became increasingly psychedelic, as her dancing and facial expressions portrayed the guise of floating through space on some sort of trippy, intergalactic cruise.
While Francis’ voice is a gift at which one may marvel, the necessity of creating a live set that holds the audience’s attention forced AlunaGeorge to dumb down their layered, R&B production into a faster-paced, electronically driven sound. If the audio mixing framed Francis’ voice more adequately against the electronic sound, this act would have been a must-see. The quasi-electronic combination with smooth jazz does not translate from album to live as well as concertgoers may have liked, placing AlunaGeorge’s performance in the realm of “another pretty good Revelry act.”
—Paul Blazevich
Max Meridius
A rapper named Max Meridius, known offstage as UW-Madison senior Max Scharrer, took the stage at the Terrace at 6 p.m., the first of several fantastic hip-hop acts to close out the Terrace Stage lineup. Backed by his own brother as DJ, he performed for a relatively small but energetic crowd that danced close to the stage. Scharrer’s songs focused on lyricism, self-expression and positive feelings.
“My name’s Max; I make tracks,” Scharrer said to the crowd, keeping things simple and to the point. He jumped atop PA speakers in front of the stage, encouraged people to dance and sing along and brought some “Fuzzy Friends,” Revelry team members dressed up in animal onesies, onstage to dance along to trap beats.
“My music serves its own purpose, which is to make people have fun,” Scharrer responded, “which it did.”
—Bobby Vanderwist
Me eN You
Several prolific UW-Madison community members took to the Terrace Stage to add local flavor to the music and arts festival, along with the out-of-town acts.
Fronted by Eric “E.J.” Newble, Me eN You contributed to a sunny Saturday afternoon what should be considered one of the most entertaining and musically cohesive acts that the Terrace has seen in a very long while. Featuring other campus artists, such as rapper Lord of the Fly, junior Daniel Kaplan, and singer, poet, social activist and writer Hiwot Adilow, Me eN You presented the listener with an eclectic blend of soul, funk, hip-hop, punk and Latin jazz. Their music presents a hopeful feeling for the future of our community and the future of music. A hope that does not often manifest itself through modern musical trends.
Thank you for a captivating performance, Me eN You. Hopefully Revelry will see you again next year.
—Paul Blazevich
CRASHprez and Lord of the Fly present: LORDprez
As a special treat for their third consecutive Revelry appearance, local rappers CRASHprez and Lord of the Fly joined forces to tear down the Terrace’s final act of the night as LORDprez. The show kicked off with a sobering “What’s his name?” chant, in remembrance of Tony Robinson, a young black Madison man who died just a few weeks ago.
It was a powerful intro, paving the way for CRASHprez, senior Michael Penn II, to ignite the mic with social commentary, hoping to open the eyes of the young audience in front of him. But the serious tone was well-balanced with their willingness to have a good time and get a couple laughs, the two making wisecracks with each other and their DJ and producer *hitmayng.
The duo had a great performance dynamic, always full of energy and spurring the crowd to get on their feet and wave their hands. Though the pair were introduced as rivals, coming on stage in a boxing-esque fashion, in light of the big Pacquiao versus Mayweather fight later that night, their camaraderie had shown through; The two friends, brought together by their music, embraced each other as their set came to a close.
Rapper Michael Penn II writes for The Daily Cardinal.
—Brandon Danial
The Chainsmokers
When the sun set behind Science Hall, two of electronic music’s most enthusiastic party people took the Main Stage to really get the crowd going. As nighttime arrivals migrated from Mifflin to Library Mall, a sizeable crowd began to congregate at the Main Stage. The Chainsmokers played a fun, dynamic set with a good balance of original songs, remixes and other selected tracks. Early in their set, I was happy to hear their remix of Smallpools’ “Dreaming,” one of their older hits.
The duo’s breakout single “#SELFIE” made a number of appearances throughout the set. Each time, the song would build to the iconic catch phrase, “But first, let me take a selfie,” before diving into a drop that varied each time, either mixing into one of the song’s many remixes or another high-energy festival favorite.
The Chainsmokers are not only talented as producers and DJs, but also as performers. Their stage presence made their set feel more like a live concert than a typical DJ set, as they often took breaks from music to speak to the crowd between songs. They put some songs into context, explaining that “#SELFIE” is not written about selfies, but rather about “basic bitches.” After a glorious inclusion of their recent hit “Kanye,” they explained that the song is not about the rapper Kanye West, but about being yourself, which is what the Chainsmokers do best.
—Bobby Vanderwist
Chance The Rapper
Revelry has been growing exponentially each year, and this year’s headliner, Chance The Rapper, was easily the most anticipated act in the festival’s run so far. Unsurprisingly, Chance opened with material from his critically acclaimed Acid Rap, grooving through several tracks before apologizing to the crowd for not introducing himself. After switching things up with a song off his “#10Day” mixtape, Chance made sure to mention that he wasn’t the only one performing, and introduced his band the Social Experiment. Not many rappers take the opportunity to use a live band, but Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment add a crucial element to Chance’s routine. The band creates a lively atmosphere, encouraging Chance to dance around the stage and elevating the performance into a wonderfully theatrical display. The hour-long set meant most of Chance’s solo work would be the focus, but the group was able to slip in their collaborative tune, “Sunday Candy.”
No hip-hop show could exist without a few words of inspiration for the audience, which Chance delivered in a grateful little speech, claiming that this show was each of our own, and started a “This my show” chant. Chance kicked things back into gear with his slow-jam “Cocoa Butter Kisses,” and then graced the audience with a new unreleased song. As the set approached the home stretch, Chance felt it was fitting to end with “Everything’s Good (Good Ass Outro),” the final song on Acid Rap. Of course the music-hungry crowd was still begging for more, to which Chance responded with “Chain Smoker” for his encore song, closing out his show to a satisfied crowd. His infectious “nanana’s” and yelps are bound to be stuck in the heads of many for days to come.
—Brandon Danial
