Saturday's well-attended Fall Fest concert quickly became a comedy of errors - one whose players included the funk band Deep Banana Blackout, rapper GZA, hip-hop act the Beatnuts, and a brief but forceful cameo by the Medford police.
Deep Banana Blackout opened the show with a long, mesmerizing set. It was the second act that caused problems, after local residents complained to the police about the loud expletives used by GZA (pronounced "giz-uh"). And though the cursing soon subsided, the afternoon went awry again when headliners the Beatnuts couldn't find their way to the Tufts campus.
Fall Fest began promptly at 2 p.m. with the synchronous blaring of trumpet, trombone, and saxophone over the deep rumble of a five-string bass broke out on the residential quad. Deep Banana Blackout had taken the stage and would play over an hour and a half of live funk.
The eight-piece ensemble from Bridgeport, CA has built up a crowd of cult followers over years of touring, many of whom attended Saturday's show. Deadheads and neo-hippies played Frisbee as the funk spread across the open field. A pregnant woman in hippie-esque garb danced without inhibitions, and marijuana smoke clouded the front of the stage.
Eric Kalb's heavy-duty drumming powered the act, fronted by lead vocalists/instrumentalists James "Fuzz" SanGiovanni and Hope Clayburn on guitar and saxophone, respectively.
As the set continued, Latin percussion and syncopated piano chords gave way to the soulful tones of the Hammond B3 organ and the funky rumble of Ben Carr's bass. Searing blues guitar solos led to jazzy horn melodies and gospel-like choir singing. Regardless of the genre explored, the band remained true to its funk roots, and all eight instruments screamed in unison a groovy melody and a more-than-danceable beat.
Compared to past Fall Fests, Deep Banana Blackout drew a crowd of hundreds, an impressive number for an opening band. Unknown to many students at the beginning of the week, the band proved itself an extremely well-rehearsed funk outfit with an incredibly full sound.
Between sets, seniors Jay Kahn, Chris Harte, and Matt Kulkin of WMFO's "The Popy Chulo Show" took the stage and attempted to keep the crowd's attention. Antics included stuffing freshman girls' mouths with marshmallows and asking them to pronounce Popy Chulo slogans.
But the real attention-getter was Indian restaurant Diva's vendor table in front of Houston Hall. Unfortunately, Diva was the only vendor to set up at Fall Fest this year, but its delicious free meals, which included curried chicken, spiced rice, and garbanzo beans, were popular with students hungry for lunch. Dinner was also served - the Carmichael staff prepared a barbecued meal that even the members of Deep Banana Blackout enjoyed.
When GZA took the stage at 4 p.m., controversy ensued. "This crazy sh-t is all live," he proclaimed. "Ain't no tapes, and when the record is up, we gots to bring it all back around."
Though he did bring with him performance skill and the obvious desire to put on a show, his frequent use of expletives offended several audience members. Worse, his cursing was apparently audible throughout parts of Medford. Local residents complained to the Medford Police, who wasted no time in responding.
Halfway into GZA's set, six Medford police cruisers rolled up next to the stage, followed by an inconspicuous white Crown Victoria with police license plates. They requested that GZA stop using profanity and offending the citizens of Medford, or the show would be shutdown.
GZA complied, seemingly without complaint. No longer did he compel the crowd to chant, "What the f--k" to the beat; now, "What the 'F'" was his battle cry of choice. The concert continued.
GZA's high-energy set drew an enormous crowd, with an estimated 500 people dancing enthusiastically to the turntable beats and rapping along. To the crowd's excitement, the Wu Tang Clan member performed not only his own material but also some of the hits he created with the rest of his popular rap crew. He invited the crowd to chant "Free ODB" in support of Wu Tang member Ol' Dirty Bastard, who is "locked down" in prison.
At one point, GZA said that he and his ensemble drove four hours from New York to perform and called on the crowd to contribute its energy to the performance. "We getting' paid to do this sh-t," he said. "That's not what it's about, but you gotta make us work for that money, it's your money, and we represent for the people."
He then invited student rappers onstage to show off their skill. As usual, a handful of bashful students were pushed to the stage by their friends and nervously demonstrated their freestyle skills. After an exciting, if toned-down set, GZA left the stage and the crowd flocked to the Carmichael barbeque for dinner.
Then there was silence. Rumors began to circulate that headliners the Beatnuts were lost in Boston. Adding credence to these rumors, a student DJ climbed onstage and tried to entertain the crowd with the one available turntable. Finally, it was announced that the Beatnuts had made their way to Medford Square. Within minutes, the Latin-influenced hip-hop troupe ran onstage, knowing there was no time to lose.
Founding members Junkyard Ju-Ju and Psycho Les brought two DJs - one an Asian American - along with two other Beatnuts alums. "We're an equal opportunity employer," one announced. "We got a lot of people up here!"
Unfortunately, the Beatnuts rushed through their set, which included the frat-house anthem "Watch Out Now." Their impressive stage display was reminiscent of last Spring Fling's Jurassic Five performance: four rappers singing and dancing in sync with each other.
They called on the crowd to pay tribute to deceased Latino rapper Big Pun, and even got many to shout, "I love the nut!" But many attendees had grown tired of waiting for the lost Beatnuts and had already left the Rez Quad.
Others grew tired of the similarities to GZA's performance: like most rap sets, both consisted of men rapping to a record with little distinction between songs and no live instrumental performances. The Beatnuts left the stage at about 6:30 p.m., but proceeded to converse with students and sign autographs backstage.
The attendees left the residential quad a mess, strewn with crushed water bottles, paper plates, and half-eaten meals, a messy testament to the fun they had had at a show that was nearly overshadowed by complications, but where the music ultimately prevailed.
