by eliza czander
If you live somewhere near the tristate area, chances are you heard about the free Girl Talk show at the Brooklyn waterfront yesterday, presented by JellyNYC. Unfortunately, after waiting in line (after line, after line) we then had endure an hour of terror, otherwise known as Max Tundra. This guy was actually hysterical, alternating between Prince-like falsettos, and dance moves resembling an awkward epileptic episode.
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Sitting on the grass under the beating sun, clutching to my sweating cup of Hoegarden, I couldn’t wait to see Greg Gillis up on that stage, the skyline and setting sun as his backdrop. Things got a little crazy as the day grew longer, and security stopped letting people through, blocking entrances to the beer tent, and then into the park entirely. We eventually joined in the badassness and jumped the barricade just to get over to the porta potties and away from the masses. But by the time GG got on stage, shit was getting hectic, and making the decision to move through the waves of smoke and headscarves toward the back of the stage proved to be the best decision of the day.
As his shows usually go, a ton of people got on stage to dance next to the DJ and his laptop, pretending to have the time of their lives up there. Security just couldn’t keep up with everyone this time, and kids were popping up and on to the stage like prairie dogs. Aside from the madness happening all around him, Girl Talk was hitting all the marks, rotating between old hits and new, keeping the energy alive. Unfortunately, halfway through his set, the stage was starting to feel the pressure of way too many Chuck Taylors bouncing around, and security guards were literally pushing and pulling people off the stage. I heard a guy behind me yell “That’s cruelty to hipsters!” after witnessing yet another girl in a onesy getting manhandled by security. Greg finally had to shut it down, asking the crowd to bear with him while they fixed the stage, hoping that if he kept yelling “New York are you with me!” people would wait it out. Just then, with the summer air hanging heavy over our heads, the rain started to come on down. I thought it best to call it a day then and there, but I have a sneaking suspicion that once the stage was good to go, GT put on a crazy show, with possibly even more intensity than it had when it started. Even though it was a complete cluster fuck by the end of the day, I am endlessly thankful that I’m able to be a part of events where young people can congregate over a common love for music. For free. Even if they do get a little out of control from time to time.
One Comment
“and kids were popping up and on to the stage like prairie dogs.”
Best line ever.