Despite the headliner’s late arrival, which left hundreds of students waiting outside the Quad for 40 minutes, most students said they enjoyed the Program Board’s annual Spring Fling Sunday. Hip-hop group Jurassic 5 delivered music spiced with messages about war and freedom to a crowd of more than 1,000 students late in the sunny afternoon.
Spring Fling was slated to begin at noon, but PB Concerts Chair Josh Bhatti sent an e-mail to the student body at about midnight Saturday saying the event would start at 2 p.m. instead.
PB Executive Chair Bryan Gless said Jurassic 5 arrived three hours late because of an ice storm the group hit in Canada while traveling to D.C. Sunday morning. PB and Jurassic 5’s contract stipulated a closed sound check, meaning no students could be allowed to enter until the band was finished and ready, Gless said, causing students to wait in a line that wrapped around the corner of H and 21st streets for almost an hour.
“I wasn’t happy about it at all, but I think we worked around it very well,” Gless said.
More than 2,700 people passed through the entrance Sunday afternoon, PB volunteers said. The day featured three other bands, an inflated climbing wall, a henna tattoo artist, a fortune teller and free grilled food, CDs and stickers. PB also doled out 1,200 navy blue Spring Fling T-shirts.
Performing for about an hour and a half to a mellow crowd of about 1,000, Jurassic 5 mixed its songs with interludes by DJs Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark.
The group’s music has been described as underground hip-hop, with “back-in-the-day jam” and “old-school” vibes.
The group’s Sunday afternoon performance included the songs “Quality Control,” “Jurass Finish First,” “Thin Line” and “Freedom.” Jurassic 5 emcees Chali 2na, Zaakir, Akil and Marc 7 used props such as kazoos and whistle tubes during their show.
At one point during the concert, Akil, a short man with gray dreadlocks, screamed, “Fuck the war” as he initiated attendees to stick up their middle fingers against the war in Iraq. Students cheered and waved their hands, following Akil’s direction.
“I just love Jurassic 5,” said senior Ariel Handelman, who said she has followed the band since its early days.
Before the headliners took the stage, the vibes and vocals of opening bands Stepanian, Last Week and Ground Up quelled the audience’s frustrations with the wait, attendees said.
Juniors Matthew Briggs and Jamie Daggon said they volunteered for their third year and are on this year’s band committee.
“I really like Spring Fling,” Daggon said. “I think everybody is enjoying everything.”
Some other students said they expected more students to attend Spring Fling.
The band’s arrival came after brainstorming 20 different band choices, including hip-hop band The Nappy Roots, Gless said.
“(Jurassic 5) were available and they have a massive appeal to people our age,” he said.
Gless declined to disclose the cost of the band’s appearance.
“This is a great time to de-stress and enjoy the year (and) especially for seniors like myself to remember GW. It’s a good end-of-the-year celebration,” Gless said.
-Mosheh Oinounou and Joshua Riezman contributed to this report.
