Early last Thursday, there was an air of excitement and anticipation for the upcoming concert at the Rathskeller. With students wondering if they would get in, who they were going with and how they were getting intoxicated beforehand, the campus was overcome with expectations.
When Girl Talk performed at Studio A in Downtown Miami, over 1,000 people showed up to see the DJ perform his set and keep the crowd roaring for more. Then, to much excitement and surprise, Girl Talk was invited to perform at the Rat.
Hurricane Productions made sure to send outgoing seniors and all students into the summer with a bang. After an exciting homecoming concert, HP lived up to the long-awaited hype.
After local band Awesome New Republic and funk/bass-electronica artist Otto Von Schirach opened for a rather meager audience, the intoxicated crowd was ready to hear the star of the night and dance the night away. Before long, the pint-sized, hairy and skinny mashup artist made it to the first floor stage to do a last-minute sound check.
Though the majority of the audience didn’t recognize Girl Talk, as soon as he played his first bass-heavy medley, dancing ensued. Girl Talk is, above all, a DJ and his penchant for mixing old classics with modern hip-hop is something completely fresh.
His performance style was a little unorthodox as well. Within 30 seconds of his first track, about 50 people jumped on the stage to dance alongside the Pittsburgh native. Before long, his shirt was off and his headband grew sweaty, and he seemed to be having just as much fun dancing to his hits as the audience.
Before diving into his full set, Girl Talk grabbed the mic and exclaimed, “I’ve been to a lot of school shows in the last few months, but this is some real exclusive shit. You guys are in Miami! I’m on vacation right now!”
As the crowd continued to roar and jump all over the venue, Girl Talk went on to play tracks from his most recent album Night Ripper and incorporated some even newer tracks.
Girl Talk may have not been the headliner most students expected after seeing Talib Kweli a few months back, but it seems he was just what students needed: dancing, drinking and partying all night at a historic venue that will only be around for one more semester.
Dan Buyanovsky may be contacted at d.buyanovsky@umiami.edu