2017 Spring Fair music lineup shows promise

At a school where most people spend more time at the library than they do in their beds, it’s nice to have this little moment of escapism — two days where you can forget the horrific feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty that haunt your every labored breath.

This year’s festivities — which start on Friday, April 28 and continue through Sunday, April 30 — have much to offer, particularly when it comes to the Friday concert. Despite that fact that it seems like a fair amount of people were not able to get tickets, the show has some promise. The very fact that neither of the acts from the last two years are performing is reason enough to leap with joy.

Remember when Nelly came here after getting arrested for having a questionable amount of drugs and, according to a 2015 E! News article, “numerous handguns, including a gold-plated 50-caliber Desert Eagle pistol”? That was awkward.

One of the principal acts is cake-throwing DJ Steve Aoki, who was responsible for 2012’s favorite song, “Pursuit of Happiness (Steve Aoki Remix).” Aoki is arguably one of the more well-known DJs in the world — well-known to people who do not listen to EDM, that is.

Also, fun fact: he is the son of the guy who founded the Japanese cuisine franchise Benihana.

It has been a few years since Aoki released a full-length album, 2015’s Neon Future II, but he consistently makes the rounds on the festival circuit. At this year’s Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Aoki brought out doubly-jeweled rapper 2 Chainz, who is the musical equivalent of King Midas.

Of course, to most of us non-EDM types, Steve Aoki is the guy who made that one song in the movie Project X. While that may hardly seem like an endorsement, that is a good song.

While I personally do not know Aoki’s music well, I am sincerely excited to see him rock some drunk person in the face with a cake. He has a reputation for doing this, which is cool. If you delight in the pain of others, look up the video of a laser he delivered to the face of some clown at Ultra in March.

Much to the joy of hip-hop heads and anyone who likes rap, the Friday concert’s other lead act is none other than the COOGI-wearing, gold-grill-sporting Harlem neophyte: A$AP Ferg.

This seems like a pretty big get for the Spring Fair team, being that Ferg is one of the more famous artists of what is probably America’s most popular musical genre. The man is responsible for nearly every banger the A$AP Mob has produced, other than Ant of course, so presumably he will put on a tremendous live show.

Ferg hit the mainstream hard in 2013 with his debut album Trap Lord, which included party-ready singles “Work (Remix)” and “Shabba.” He followed up that success three years later with Always Strive and Prosper, which, while much more introspective than his debut, still includes a healthy number of songs — “Hungry Ham” and “Let it Bang” come to mind — that will happily turn your eardrums into popped balloons.

Ultimately though, regardless of what happens on Friday, chances are that both Aoki and Ferg are going to be considerably better than the two apocalyptically irritating tools that we endured last year. I speak of course of the Chainsmokers and, as I typed that, I actually gagged. Frankly, I enjoyed the sound of that gag more than I have ever enjoyed a Chainsmokers song.

Thankfully, we are free of the frat-electronica menace that stalked campus last year. Also, because this year’s show is at Ram’s Head Live instead of the Rec Center, there is a solid chance that sweet, sweet mayhem will be allowed to run rampant.

During the day on Friday, three acts will perform on the Beach: TOCCA, Staunton, and Arts Fishing Club. In the Beer Garden that day, rapper Yonas and rock band Bencoolen will both soundtrack your best efforts to raise your blood alcohol content.

The music continues on through the weekend, with shows all-day on Saturday and Sunday. Some local bands like Luna June and The Milestones will make an appearance on Saturday in the Beer Garden.

Based on an admittedly brief preview, some of these acts are also interesting. TOCCA, who opens on the Beach on Friday, has an airy but still stuck-in-the-city type sound, the musical equivalent of Wyman Park Dell. On Saturday, Washington, D.C. band Color Palette will be playing on the beach and are definitely worth checking out. They have a sort-of washed out, ‘80s prog-rock meets surf-jam sound which should fulfill your day-drinking auditory needs.

Beyond music, Spring Fair will include the usual ensemble of art and food vendors because nothing goes better with drugs and alcohol than reckless capitalist consumption.