With 11Fest just around the corner, Timeflies and Bailee Moore got students on their feet and in the mood for hip-hop with an early taste of what the weekend has in store.
The latest edition of the Performing Arts Series featured acts No Limits, Bailee Moore and Timeflies as they took the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium stage to perform new and familiar dance and rap songs.
The group No Limits opened the show with electronic dubstep remixes of songs including “Starships” by Nicki Minaj and “Thriftshop” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Although the crowd was smallest for their set, students seemed enthusiastic throughout.
More students filled MemAud as Bailee Moore, a senior at Ohio University who achieved national popularity with her fast rapping skills, prepared to perform. She rapped along with soon-to-be released recordings of new material, such as “Body Language” and “Life of the Party.”
Cal Shapiro, lead vocalist of headlining act, Timeflies, hyped the crowd with chants of “OU, Oh Yeah” as the duo started into their first song. The high energy among students persisted throughout the final set of songs.
Spencer Giblin, a senior studying advertising, attended Timeflies’ show at last year’s 9Fest and said that he enjoyed the chance to see the group perform again.
“It was a better atmosphere at 9Fest,” Giblin said. “It’s just different when it’s outside with around 13,000 people.”
Aside from performing their familiar hits, the band also unveiled a freestyle rap that referenced various Ohio University landmarks, such as Broney’s, Lucky’s, and Radar Hill, as well as the recent "#FugitiveFest" Twitter trend.
Andrew Holzaepfel, associate director of the Campus Involvement Center, said the show went well despite ticket sales being “a little shy of the goal.”
“I think we’ll look to bring the music style back again,” Holzaepfel said. “I don’t think we’ll bring Timeflies on an annual basis, but we’ll certainly look to bring the genre back.”
jd202409@ohiou.edu
