Thousands flocked to Baird Point Friday evening to see this year's SA-sponsored FallFest. The biggest pre-show question was if the multitudes would react well to the diverse bill. The post-show answer was an obvious yes.
Lil' Kim kept the audience waiting 25 minutes past her scheduled performance time, but once she arrived, she didn't fail to entertain.
"It's a little hot in here," she said, two songs into her set, taking off her denim jacket. "Do y'all mind?" she said seductively, revealing her green bikini top along with her well-publicized bust line.
During one extended interlude, Kim and her large male entourage held a miniature battle, asking the crowd, "Where my ladies at," and "Where my n----s at?" The men played the beat and sang to 50 Cent's "P.I.M.P.," and Ludacris' "Move" while Lil' Kim led the female audience members in singing Khia's "My Neck, My Back."
Lil' Kim left the stage after holding a dance competition between four front-row fans and performing "Magic Stick."
Nasir Jones, a.k.a. Nas, came on stage and made certain his DJ gave the audience an opportunity to pay tribute to fallen hip-hop stars.
"We've lost a lot of people in this hip-hop life, and we're here to represent the peace." He then played brief portions of songs by The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, and Big Pun.
Nas began his routine with "Got Ur Self a...," which features sampled portions of "The Soprano's" theme song. The crowd immediately showed tremendous support, jumping to the beat, hands and limbs waving wildly.
His simple black attire and flash-less stage setup symbolized all Nas represents in hip-hop - success based on good beats and great lyrics, as opposed to an image of fame and fortune popular among many of his contemporaries.
His most impressive and emotional performance was the astounding "One Mic." By kneeling down for the opening verses and bursting to his feet as the words grew stronger, Nas showed what separates him from his peers.
After Nas left the stage, fans whose sole interest was hip-hop left, making way for those with long hair, wallet chains and tight jeans. It was time for the modern rock stylings of Godsmack.
Godsmack introduced themselves in customary rock fashion. Without a word to the crowd, they played one of their most popular tunes, "Awake." There was little response to the song, and it seemed to take a while for lead singer Sully Erna's voice to warm up and start to hit notes at the right pitch.
Before long, however, with chugging riffs and distinct rhythms, as well as stage smoke and a laser show, the "moshers" and head-bangers were won over.
"At about the same point that the crowd began to show their approval, Erna reciprocated.
"You know why we did this show," he said. "Because our booking agent didn't get us a show in Buffalo last year ... we had to come where the real hard-rockers are."
Student reaction to the show was infallibly positive. Adam Rifkin, a sophomore psychology major said of Godsmack, "I think they put on one h*ll of a show...It's great that they played stuff from all their albums, not just the new one."
"This is better than last year, because it's outside," said Kunal Wadhwa, a senior computer engineering major.
Vanessa Grag, a junior political science major, agreed. "This is just great scenery," she said, glancing at the backdrop of Baird Point against a setting sun.
Students won't have to wait long before another big name comes to UB, though. Before Godsmack took the stage, SA President George Pape announced that on Nov. 16, comedian Chris Rock will perform at UB as part of the UB Comedy Series.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
