Wale throws a bottle of VitaminWater into the crowd
in collaboration with vitaminwater and The FADER uncapped concert series
For the Chicago stop in the Uncapped concert series, presented by Vitaminwater uncapped in partnership with The FADER, Santigold and Wale were next on the tour following the performance of Rick Ross and The-Dream in L.A. a week before. Heading to the unfamiliar venue, we were unsure of our direction in the West side, Chicago UIC area. But with every step, a few more stylish and trendy folks would pop down from the sky and lead us in the right direction. Lo and behold, the massive line of concertgoers assured us that we were in the right spot. With an attendance of almost 1000, we were slowly ushered into the vast space of The Marquardt Trucking Company where the show was being held.
Inside there was quite a magnificent set up, complete with Maseo of De La Soul greeting us with a killer DJ set of the new and old. Vitaminwater took the décor (and the recycling) into their own hands with plastic bottle caps spelling out The FADER, labels and more bottle caps were used for a giant replica of a cassette tape. Gold spray painted bottles constructed the elaborate boombox hanging on the wall, and empty Vitaminwater bottles and caps made the “velvet rope” partitions throughout the venue, amongst a few more sculptures of Vitaminwater artwork. The bar was beautifully lit with the colors of the Vitaminwater rainbow, crowded by the patrons who were eager to take advantage of the free Vitaminwater and beer being handed out.
Check out video from the "uncapped" concert series on YouTube!
Up first and right on time was Santigold, looking as stunning as ever. With her two supporting dancers on either side of her, Santigold knew to bang out classics from her self-titled album “Santigold” to kick off the set. Songs such as “L.E.S. Artistes”, and “Say Aha” brought on the energy from the crowd, and you could tell that she fed off of that. Relatively unfamiliar with her newest album Master of My Make-Believe, I was unsure of what to expect. Well, she did not disappoint in the slightest, even letting half of the audience join her onstage for a spell. “Fame” and “Disparate Youth” had the crowd going, but things really got crazy when “Go!” was performed and the crowd lost control.
After a small hiccup of technical difficulties, Wale was up next. He was psyched and ready to go, using every bit of energy he had for the entire set. His performance of “Bag of Money” had everyone swaying and singing along in succession. Wale threw Vitaminwater into the crowd, surely to stop patrons from fainting with sheer excitement and eagerness for his next song. Towards the end of the set, Wale brought Melanie Fiona onto the stage to blast “Beautiful Bliss” over the speakers. “Wale killed it!” was heard throughout the crowd as we exited the warehouse.
All in all, the show was a clear win. Vitaminwater and Fader pulled out the stops and I’m eager to follow the rest of the Uncapped concert series to see what other musical rabbits will be coming out of their hats. What a crowd. What a set. What a night.
-- Parri Finister
uncapped_fader_2012_horz_stacked_FINAL
