It was the scantily-clad raver’s dream come true at Sunday night’s returning Toronto Frosh Festival at Echo Beach.
The hyped up lineup included the anticipated rap group, A$AP Mob; DJ Carnage, a bass artist who also dabbles in house music; Joe Ghost, a Toronto native and rapidly-growing house DJ and breakout EDM producers, Dzeko and Torres (who also happen to be Canadian).
Students of all ages from various universities around the GTA poured into the sandy venue late afternoon as Joe Ghost took the stage.
By the time Dzeko and Torres were introduced, the outdoor concert venue was already filling up with drunk and sober, however undeniably sweaty humans alike, all looking forward to end another hot summer off with a bang. With the sun shining bright on their backs, the crowd let go of their inhibitions and danced under the clear cerulean sky to duo’s trance-like beats.
After some somber incidents at Veld Music Festival earlier in the summer, security at the 2014 frosh festival were strict about catching individuals who were callous about ingesting methamphetamines and other drugs. And of course, it’s not a concert without hoards of intoxicated teenagers grinding their bodies on each other and girls with flower headbands sitting on some sweaty dudes’ shoulders.
After the Torontonians got a taste of the tantalizing rave lifestyle, DJ Carnage stepped out at sundown and provided the appropriate atmosphere for one of the biggest nights in Toronto this fall. He played remixes and groovy beats that made you take off those uncomfortable shoes, grab your styrofoam LED sticks and wave them around while swaying to the pounding rhythm.
At this point in time, the audience was packed and captivated by the rainbow light show that pulsed with every scratch of the record. Smoke machines were going off at a whim and people from every aspect of life were bonding over this enchanting music. Carnage’s #chipotlegang banded together as they sang along to his version of Ludacris’ Move Bitch (get out the way) and shimmied to some good Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Regardless of a couple thousand dancing bodies, the sweltering heat and claustrophobia was lost amongst the pleasant September breeze.
By 9:45p.m., the long-awaited A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg and A$AP Nast took the stage as the last act of the night and blew the crowd away with hits such as Wild For The Night—sans Skrillex and Shabba. I finally comprehend why rap concerts are so amazing. The reverberation and recurring beats in a rap artist’s music can make or break the concert. It’s all about the hype; you can’t help but get excessively excited while listening to the rapid beats of this urban style. Even someone like myself, who rarely ever listens to rap music, couldn’t help but sing “Four gold rings like I’m Sha-Shabba Ranks” along with the crowd. I consider myself converted after this event, firmly placed on the bandwagon that is the nitty gritty world of rap music.
The second edition of Toronto Frosh Festival definitely did not disappoint and unlike last year’s version, which was all EDM focused, the inclusion of A$AP Mob to this year’s bill added a new element and new energy to bring the crowd together. We look forward to seeing how this unique festival evolves for next year as we know it will definitely be bigger and better.
