When it was announced that Yung Gravy was performing at Colby, the excitement was palpable. This concert was the first Fall Concert since the beginning of the pandemic.
Despite tickets costing $25, there was a high turnout. Most of the attendees were Colby students, but there were plenty of people from both Waterville and surrounding towns, including plenty of students from other colleges in the area.
Gravy is the biggest performer Colby has had in the past couple of years, so people were excited to see someone they knew, either from his music or from social media apps.
Kaitlyn Hurley `25 knew Gravy from TikTok, where she had seen several of his videos.
“He is always really gimmicky, so I never took his music seriously until I heard he was coming to Colby. I’ve always found his stuff funny, but it’s not very good,” she said.
While people were excited he was coming, some students were surprised he was chosen by SPB for a few reasons.
“It’s really surprising that they would bring someone to perform at Colby whose entire discography is degrading women,” said an anonymous post on YikYak.
“The artist was lackluster as if no one suggested him. There was also a survey last semester about who should do the concert, and it seems as no one used the survey as a reference for choosing the artist,” Amel Elnaw `25 said.
On the day of the actual performance, Gravy was opened by Taco Alley, one of the bands in the Music Incubator. They played several covers, and one original, which added energy to the crowd.
Emmalyne Drake, a Husson student, loved her first Taco Alley experience.
“The opener was great!” she said. “They gave me Wham! vibes.”
After Taco Alley’s set ended, Gravy took a long time to come out, leading to unrest in the crowd. Audience members were pushing each other and several people fell. The whole concert was general admission, so there was only standing room, which caused the crowds to close in.
Many students attributed their bad experiences to the audience.
“Being in the crowd wasn’t a super positive experience. There was a lot of shoving, pushing, and surging,” Charlotte Snow `25 said.
A student who wished to remain anonymous told the story of some people near them who intentionally tried to make people uncomfortable.
“Near the front, there was a group of guys pushing their way through the crowd. One of them in particular kept elbowing this girl in the head, and after she asked him to stop, he continued doing so. There was a group of people requesting to get this guy out of the crowd, and security kind of tried, but multiple times he and his friends came back and purposefully made the crowd around them uncomfortable.”
“There was too much shoving even though there was a lot of room,” Elnaw pointed out.
When Gravy finally came out, he was low energy and quiet, making it hard for audience members to hear him as he mainly stood around on stage.
“I think a more fun atmosphere would have made the experience better. I think Gravy talked too much, and it was hard to hear what he was saying,” Bella Hogan `25 said.
Despite not being able to hear much, Hogan still had a good experience.
“I enjoyed myself. I liked that he was interactive with the crowd and came down with the roses. That part was great!” she said.
Overall, many students found the performance underwhelming, considering the money they spent on the event.
“I don’t think we should have another rapper come. Instead, we should get someone who is more chill who knows how to give a performance,” Anya Kirschner `24 said.
Nate Goodin `26 put it very succinctly when he said, “The concert was garbage. It was too chaotic, and Gravy wasn’t good.”
An anonymous YikYak user posted, “Having Taco Alley warm up for Gravy is like having the Beatles warm up for Nickleback.”
Snow continued, “I think that it was cool that Yung Gravy was there and Colby did a great job of setting it up, but I think that Gravy wasn’t the best performer.”
Betsy Greenberg `25 ended up having a good night, although it was no thanks to the actual performance.
“I think that overall, it was a fun night, but I’m not sure how much of my enjoyment can be attributed to the performance. While it was fun knowing that Yung Gravy would be coming to Colby, I don’t think his performance was necessarily the highlight of my night. Being with my friends and seeing so many other friendly faces is truly what made the night a good time. It gave us an excuse to get dressed and all go out on the same night. The anticipation of the event seemed to cultivate a sense of community as well; no matter how well you knew someone, sharing excitement about the concert and asking about their plans was a safe conversation starter all week!” she said.
At the end of the day, this concert was about community. While it might not have been what people were necessarily expecting, it was a reason for people from all over the College community to gather and experience something together. It was the topic of many conversations last week and will continue to be remembered as the first Fall Concert in many years, marking something special for the College.
~ Mairead Levitt `25
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