Accompanied by a group of my closest friends when entering the Fine Line Music Café I couldn’t wait to listen to an artist I’ve been wanting to see live for some time. Upon getting our wristbands the atmosphere almost instantly made me feel right at home. Seeing the smiling faces and feeling welcomed with no hesitation made it a night soon to be remembered. The venue was packed since it was a sold out show which made it difficult to walk around at times, but when walking around one could tell that everyone was enjoying themselves. I loved seeing individuals of all ages in attendance from young to old which displayed what I’ve previously noticed; that music can truly be enjoyed by everyone.
Flamingosis started the night around 9 p.m., and prior to Saturday night I hadn’t heard much of New Jersey native Aaron Velasquez’s talent. I was immediately impressed as the air was filled with a mix of hip-hop and electronic music making it hard for one to suppress their own dance moves. Velasquez kept the crowd’s attention by providing an entertaining light show as well as beat boxing; both sweeping the crowd off their feet and setting the stage for Emancipator. After Flamingosis completed an hour and a half long set Emancipator came on stage around 10:30 one song away from opening with one of my favorites, “Dusk to Dawn”, which was released in 2013. This particular tour was meant to celebrate the release of Emancipator’s new album, Baralku, which occurred in November of 2017. For fans of Emancipator the anticipation was heavy waiting for the set to start as we were all eager to hear the new music in person. The set was filled with an assortment of instruments consisting of drums, a violin, a guitar and a keyboard. I always love when artists incorporate something unique into their work that wouldn’t normally be expected, and for me the violin was just that. Emancipator closed their main set around 11:40 only to come back on for an encore shortly after meaning that each of the artist’s played for a decent amount of time which left everyone happy. As it always happens fans wanted to hear more, but the night had to come to an end causing everyone to enter into the frozen tundra once again.
The Fine Line Music Café did a fantastic job at hosting this event, but with it being sold out I think a bigger venue may have been more appropriate. However, I strongly believe the more the merrier and a great turnout has to mean something positive. Having the balcony open provided more room for concert goers to move around on the floor, and if you wanted to have a great view upstairs was the place to be allowing you to get out of the crowd. As previously mentioned both artists incorporated various lighting techniques to help enhance their music which is always enjoyable, and Fine Line Music Café catered to that well.
Overall Experience: Both Flamingosis and Emancipator put together an excellent show, and I think they complimented one another very well. It’s always surprised me how instrumental music can entertain a crowd just the same as those with lyrics, and it was a great opportunity to see it in the works. Both artists are very talented individuals, and I hope to see them again when time allows.
Venue: I feel as though I’ve already mentioned it twice, and there really is no avoiding a packed venue when the show you are attending is sold out. I think it’s a gorgeous venue, and they did an excellent job with how busy it was as well as having the balcony available to concert goers.
Attendance: Attendance was amazing! I was very impressed with how many people were there (I even saw quite a few individuals from Fargo) as well as the vast range of age groups like I previously mentioned.
