COMMENTARY

By CASSIE SLANA
Reporter

(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) — Transformations of the UCM Student Recreation and Wellness Center were already underway by Wednesday, March 9, for the concert taking place the following night.

PHOTO BY MARIE NABORS / PHOTOGRAPHER
The Summer Set drummer Jess Bowen rocks out on Thursday night, March 10, in the lower courts of the Student Recreation and Wellness Center.

The stage and its equipment took over the downstairs gym as preparations for performers Rae Sremmurd and The Summer Set began.

After hearing about the concert – and trying to figure out how to pronounce Rae Sremmurd – I turned to Google for some history about the headliners. Turns out, the group was originally called Dem Outta St8 Boyz until they signed with Ear Drummers Entertainment in 2014. The group, which included Swae Lee and Slim Jimmy, then changed their name to Rae Sremmurd, a backwards creation inspired by their label.

Opening for Rae Sremmurd was The Summer Set, a pop-rock group from Arizona that has toured with bands like Mayday Parade and Sleeping with Sirens.

As the doors opened, the crowd slowly began to expand back from the guardrails out to well past the half-court line.

The Summer Set started the night off with upbeat music that captivated the audience’s attention. Though they experienced minor technical difficulties, they were charming and witty about getting the problem fixed without missing a beat. Their high-energy performance was visible on their sweat-soaked clothing, and though they worked the audience, there was a general feeling of anticipation near the end of their performance for the headlining act.

PHOTO BY MARIE NABORS / PHOTOGRAPHER
Khalif “Swae Lee” Brown of Rae Sremmurd performs for excited UCM students.

After a quick set-change, Rae Sremmurd took the stage with force. The whole energy of the crowd changed – more awed, and almost desperate. The music pounded through the speakers with a bass line that resonated through the floor and all throughout your body. Many people in the front row were left soaking wet as the artists emptied the contents of countless water bottles onto the crowd, making them go wild. The crowd seemed to be in sync as the performance continued, keeping the intensity at maximum until the end of the night.

The energy was visible as the audience dispersed, leaving the windows of the rec center foggy from the heat radiating off the crowd.

Though the two performing groups came from different spectrums of the music industry, both of their passion and devotion was evident as they ended the night leaving everything on the stage.

PHOTO BY MARIE NABORS / PHOTOGRAPHER
Brian Dales, lead vocalist of The Summer Set, reaches out into the hands of adoring audience members.

PHOTO BY MARIE NABORS / PHOTOGRAPHER
Aaquil “Slim Jxmmi” Brown leads the crowd as they bounce in time to the music.

PHOTO BY MARIE NABORS / PHOTOGRAPHER
Students join Rae Sremmurd on stage to dance with the performers.

PHOTO BY MARIE NABORS / PHOTOGRAPHER
At the end of the night, phones from crowd light up the stage for one last song by Rae Sremmurd.