Tuning in

On Saturday, many Columbia students finally let their hair down, screaming, jumping, and stage-diving at the Bacchanal spring concert.

Although he was the least well-known of the three acts, Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa drew a large crowd to Bacchanal’s first set. He showed off his knowledge of how to interact with an audience, getting the crowd members to put their hands in the air and sing along on multiple occasions. Arguably the highlight of the act was when, at the rapper’s request, one excited fan even climbed on stage to tie Khalifa’s shoelaces.

Next up, Ghostface Killah—the man, the myth, the legend—took the stage. Using the sound of gunshots to punctuate his raps, Ghostface’s act had a much rougher flow than that of Khalifa. However, Ghostface echoed Khalifa’s success at encouraging audience participation—the audience screamed his name and flashed Wu-Tang Clan hand signs. Highlights included Ghostface’s performance of a hit from his Wu-Tang Clan days titled “Wu-Tang Clan Aint Nuthing Ta F’ Wit” and a cover of Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s “Shimmy Shimmy Ya.”

Of Montreal’s set—with integrated performance art—blurred the line between hilarious and horrifying. The band’s show included figures clad in gas masks and robes, half-naked girls vacillating between desperately sucking their thumbs and dancing seductively, and diaper-wearing men covered in white paint. The band presented these crazy characters in front of a background screen displaying hypnotic images and a colorful light show.

Somehow, all of these attention-grabbing additions did not overshadow the glam rock of lead singer Kevin Barnes and his crew. Opening with “Suffer for Fashion” and closing with “The Past Is a Grotesque Animal,” the band stuck with songs from one of their most famous albums, “Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?” along with other favorites like “Disconnect the Dots.”

Of Montreal, out of the three acts, arguably elicited the most enthusiastic response from audience members. Many Columbians in the crowd were perhaps inspired by the band’s trippy performance, seeing it as an invitation to loosen up. While some students merely tapped their feet, numerous others danced with abandon—the overall chaotic atmosphere of the band’s act highlighted the concert’s role as a much-needed study break with term papers and final exams looming overhead. A surprising number of Columbians also partook in stage diving and crowd surfing, and even of Montreal band member Davey Pierce and event mascot Chewbacca joined in on the activity.

“The show was fantastic. The crowd was very respectful and nice. No one tried to touch me inappropriately,” Pierce said. “I accidentally threw one of my pedals out, and I think they actually gave it back to me.”

Indeed, the of Montreal musicians seemed to enjoy the concert as much as the audience did. Pierce said, “It is a big honor to play with Ghostface Killah, and it was an amazing thing to play right out there on the Steps and actually have people pay attention to you.”