To call it ‘Shock’toberfest is to give UCI’s annual event, that took place last Friday in the Bren Events Center, a bit more flair than it actually deserves. UC Irvine does deserve credit for bringing quite big artists this year, as well as keeping the venue organized and the event under control at all times. The real problem was in how organized they intended to keep it. When hiring YG and A$AP Rocky, the university didn’t understand the essence of these artists and what they stand for, which is to be “wild for the night,” in A$AP’s own words.
In matters of aesthetics, the Bren Events Center looked incredible. The stage was full of lights and the huge screen illustrated each artist’s performance perfectly. The show of fluorescent lights formed by the audience’s glow sticks was mesmerizing. Anteaters’ organizational skills were fundamental in creating a perfect light show for each performance and taking care of the technical side of the event. It really was impressive to see what a great job was done by ASUCI in organizing the event, although they didn’t have the same luck when organizing the students.
The problems started with the closing of the arena, forcing the students and their guests to watch the concert from a distance in the stands. After placing everyone at the stands, ASUCI representatives insisted that everyone be seated in order for the concert to start. In addition, there was a very strongly enforced ‘one person per seat’ policy throughout the entire concert, where people would be constantly moved to the back and forced to seat alone if they were standing on the stairs next to their friends.
Even with the constant pressure to be poised, the students still managed to enjoy the show. YG, going with the theme of ‘Averagetoberfest’, gave an average performance. He sang his two hits, “Toot It And Boot It” and “My Nigga,” yet most of the other songs he performed weren’t his own and it was quite hard to understand what he was singing at times. YG also brought with him on stage a few other rappers, which often made it hard for the audience to know which one he was in the mist of a bunch people walking around and singing.
A$AP Rocky, in his turn, gave a great performance, singing his hits “Wild For The Night” and “Purple Swag.” His stage presence was contagious and the audience managed to have a blast, singing and dancing to his songs. By this time, any hopes of keeping people in their seats were dead and the students began to enjoy Shocktoberfest like it should be done at a real concert. His most famous hit, “F***ing Problems,” closed the concert in style, as he invited all girls to go on stage and sing with him.
Praise must also be given to the Electrify Street Festival that took place in Mesa Road at midnight, after the concert. Fun rides, including a ferris wheel, and good food were provided to the guests of the event, closing the night perfectly for those who weren’t too tired to stay. Although the shuttles were extremely full and comfort wasn’t an option, they were still quite efficient in getting to students to the event and back to their houses safely.
Have fun, in moderation. That is what they were aiming for, which is quite contradictory when the artists who were hired sent out a ‘go hard or go home’ vibe. If they want the students to sit and calmly enjoy the concert, I would suggest that next year they hire Taylor Swift.