Saturday, June 27 was the closing night of Epic Fest 2013 at Aurora. The lineup was a solid mix of underground rappers, including both locals and out-of-towners. Every artist was given a fifteen minute time slot and the sets had minimal–if any–breaks in between; this gave the show a cypher vibe, but at times it felt a bit rushed.
Saturday, June 27 was the closing night of Epic Fest 2013 at Aurora. The lineup was a solid mix of underground rappers, including both locals and out-of-towners. Every artist was given a fifteen minute time slot and the sets had minimal–if any–breaks in between; this gave the show a cypher vibe, but at times it felt a bit rushed.
When I first arrived, at around 8:30, there was a decent crowd in front of the stage and they seemed to be enjoying the performance. Through a couple sets of grooving with the catchy beats and impressive flow of the rappers, the crowd held steady. But unfortunately, the attention span of the audience began to wane as the night went on. A few sets into the show the crowed decided–seemingly simultaneously–that they weren’t going to listen to the next artist, and suddenly the audience shrank to about a fourth of its previous size. The next set bordered on high school talent show awkward, and not because of the quality of the artist, but rather because the crowd was so small.
It would be helpful to briefly explain the set up of Aurora so that you can get the feel for what was happening. When you initially walked into the venue, the stage was to the left, a bar was against the back wall, there were couches and seating to the right, and in the back right corner there was a sporting event– I believe it was hockey– playing on a projector. If the crowd lost interest in one of the performers, they would simply relax on a couch, watch the game, or lean against the bar. As a result, the atmosphere of the evening didn’t feel like it was focused on the music.
Saturday’s show was a well-done showcase of new talent, but unfortunately, the crowd gave off a general feeling of apathy for most of the evening. At times, I felt like one of the few people in the building who’d come specifically to see the show. I couldn’t help but be pleasantly surprised by most of the artists I caught. No one was exceptionally jaw-dropping, but no one was horrible enough to warrant the crowd’s complete disregard for their performance, either.
In the end, it seems like it might have just been a case of festival exhaustion. After five shows in four days, maybe Slapdash had just worn everybody out. I applaud the artists for persevering in the face of apathy, and I would definitely go check out future events. I just hope people get more hyped for it next time.
