Last Saturday night, Alumni Arena hosted two artists at important points in their careers. Both performers were preparing for big releases, and could have used this concert to further promote their material.
But by the end of the concert, it was clear that this one was for the fans.
After weeks of anticipation, close to 2,500 fans – including as many as 350 non-students, according to SA Entertainment Director Marc Rosenblitt– crowded the venue to attend the SA Small Concert. The event was headlined by popular hip-hop duo Chiddy Bang, with UB student Trevor Eckman (Bagginz) opening the show.
Although multiple fans reached out to Chiddy Bang through Twitter once they heard that the duo was coming to perform, the two looked nonchalant as they waited by the stage while the SA introduced them. Rapper Chidera "Chiddy" Anamege told the crowd that he was amazed at just how huge it was, despite already performing at 400 colleges.
Chiddy Bang's debut studio album, Breakfast, is set to be released in a few weeks. However, the duo mentioned the album just twice in the latter half of the set.
Noah "Xaphoon Jones" Beresin said that performing for the college crowd wasn't for promotion, but more for entertainment.
"Every place you go is important," Beresin said. "You want to harness the energy, the momentum of the fans, and you want to make new fans."
Longtime fans and newcomers alike left Alumni Arena with their expectations fulfilled, giving the performers ample energy to feed off throughout the show.
"That was probably the best concert I've ever been to," said Thomas Darlington, a sophomore environmental engineering major. "Everyone was feeling it, the crowd was bumping and I was crowd surfing. It was great."
Some students, however, were less than thrilled with the event, and wondered whether this was the way SA should be handling student money.
"On the one hand, this is part of where I want my money spent," said Kathy Stepanova, a senior biology major. "But on the other hand, there is more the [SA] should be doing than putting on shows where only a couple thousand people attend. You're charging 20,000 people a fee, but then only some people benefit from it."
Chiddy donned a Sharks fitted cap, black V-neck, and a pair of Jordans, an outfit that exuded a cool demeanor. But his performance was anything but, as he stayed fiery, yet consistent throughout the set. Chiddy's freestyle over Kanye West's "Who Gon Stop Me" and his interaction with the audience to prelude "Never" engaged the crowd.
Xaphoon Jones was a foil to his counterpart's intensity. Beresin, who played live drums in addition to his initial production on the tracks, displayed a more casual, relatable personality on stage.
The duo's characters marked the highlights of the night. Xaphoon Jones wore a Chicago Bulls snapback cap lent to him by a fan to impersonate Big Sean to perform "Too Fake," one of the songs he produced for Big Sean. The duo continuously advised the crowd to "make out with each other, [and] punch each other," and wanted absolute pandemonium to ensue.
Chiddy Bang also performed one of his signature freestyles. Beresin took six random topics from the audience and wrote them down on a paper plate. Chiddy, the Guinness World Record holder for the longest freestyle (9:16.22), proceeded to rhyme all of the topics over Tinie Tempah's "Pass Out." The freestyle received rave responses for the audience.
"It was great," said Greg Potter, a junior English major. "It got a response from the crowd. He rapped about Buffalo, an Octopus, and Michael Jordan…just random stuff that the crowd reacted to."
The crowd also came to life when the duo performed the Sufjan Stevens-sampled "All Things Go," one of its most popular songs. The fans were clamoring for an encore when the duo finally left the stage after playing its biggest single, "Opposite of Adults." They happily obliged and returned to play the high-tempo "Truth" to end the night.
Chiddy Bang's set left a resonating effect on the attendees. For Beresin, it was a mission accomplished.
"[People will] leave [the show], and whether they're drawn to it or not is up to their personality," Beresin said. "But they can't go and say ‘Oh, I've seen another group that sounds like them' or ‘I've seen another rapper that sounds like Chiddy' or ‘I've seen another producer that does what I do.'"
Despite his energy and characteristic optimism, Bagginz struggled to win over the crowd.
However, Bagginz was humbled by the opportunity to perform in an SA concert, after reaching out to the organization numerous times.
"It's an achievement because I'm honored to be in front of the kids that I share classes with," Eckman said. "It's a stepping stone in the sense that I'm opening. I'd like to be in Chiddy's spot where I'm headlining, but I'm very honored and satisfied with the opportunity to open."
Eckman was joined by his producer Joey C., DJ ET, and backup dancer Trini Morrison, a senior theatre major, for the set. Bagginz performed tracks off his mixtape It's Only a Matter of Time and previewed "Let It Be," a Beatles sampled track off his upcoming release God Bless the Internet.
Unfortunately for Eckman, the crowd had a mixed reaction about the performance.
"I didn't really like him," said Matthew Munschauer, 18 of Buffalo. "The lyrics weren't that good, and he really wasn't getting the crowd going. I was disappointed."
The few who were interested were more supportive toward their fellow UB student. His attempts to hype up the crowd were praised by them, and his freestyle to end his set was met with a small applause.
"It sounded good to me," said John O'Connor, a sophomore business major. "The freestyle at the end was killer, and he was doing his thing."
Bagginz has opened for rappers Lupe Fiasco, Mac Miller, and Machine Gun Kelly, but has considered this concert just as important as his previous endeavors. Eckman wanted to perform for UB ever since he was a freshman, and Saturday was a hallmark moment in his career.
But Eckman humbly expected a lukewarm response from the audience.
"People are here to see Chiddy Bang," Eckman said. "I don't expect the same reaction. When I went to see Mac Miller with [opening acts], I wasn't really pumped to see them. But I gave them the time of day…I'm honestly expecting to go out there and get booed. I go out there with thin expectations, because sky's the limit. I just want to win [the crowd] over."
SA Vice President Meghan McMonagle believes Bagginz's performance wasn't necessarily about the students' reactions. She stated that very few students have ever had the opportunity to open for an SA concert, and believes the experience will help artists like Bagginz realize their potential.
She also considers the SA Small Concert a success and thinks the organization will use the momentum from the event to plan a successful Spring Fest, SA's annual semester-ending concert.
"We are currently working on bids and contracts with artists for Spring Fest," McMonagle said. "Our entertainment staff has been hard at work trying to secure a great show for Spring Fest and with some luck this Spring Fest will be even more successful. Our goal as an organization is always to please as many students as possible. We hope Chiddy Bang is only the beginning of a great semester of entertainment."
Additional reporting by Mark Davis, staff writer.
Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
