bbno$ Brings The Energy (and The Veggies) to Foellinger
On Saturday, February 5th, Star Course brought bbno$ to Foellinger. And boy, was it an experience.
I, like many other UIUC students, associate Foellinger with taking STATS 100 midterms, so it’s always interesting to be there for concerts. Previously I saw Beach Bunny at this venue in October (another Star Course show), and seeing students attempt to open a pit in an auditorium was beyond hilarious.
There was a DJ on stage doing a set as students came into the auditorium, shuffling to their assigned seats. I was surprised that a crowd hadn’t formed at the front of the stage, and was a bit concerned that everyone would stay in their seats during the entire show. Local act (and UIUC alum) Rios Mios had the opening slot, but before he came onstage, another rapper in a trench coat came on to “hype up the crowd”. Casper Alexander, otherwise known as Chi Songwriter, performed a few songs and crowd surfed before Rios Mios hit the stage. Luckily during his set, people got up and out of their seats to go near the stage. I was standing halfway in an aisle and halfway in a row, hoping to be able to step into the safety of the row of seats if a pit opened up somehow. Not that I don’t love a good mosh, but the restrictions of the seats would make it a little dangerous, in my opinion. I originally came to this show alone (on a press pass) but ended up spending the show with my new friends Sadie and Jack, which was much better than standing around by myself.
Rios Mios performed a really interesting set, a mix of hip hop with some more pop punk influences. He had a great stage presence and kept the crowd engaged, and even took time at the end of his set to encourage audience members to thank their professors. He brought a skateboard onstage, and pulled someone from the audience to do a trick or two. He instructed the audience to match his energy, and switched between energetic tracks and more chill songs. Star Course did a great job of choosing him as the opener, he was a great performer & brought the right energy to the crowd.
Shortly after Rios Mios left the stage, bbno$’s DJ came onto the stage and began to introduce him, hyping up the crowd for his entrance. bbno$ came onstage and immediately brought the energy, his songs are insanely upbeat and he made sure his stage presence matched. I’ve seen him perform before, briefly, back at Lollapalooza in 2019 when Yung Gravy brought him onstage as a guest, and in just a short span of a few years it’s clear that his confidence onstage has improved. As an avid bbno$ fan, I was hoping for some deep cuts: “stucco”, “pop song”, and “Bandsville” would’ve been my personal additions to the setlist. However, it is no secret that my favorite bbno$ is “sriracha”, and I was beyond excited when I heard the intro to it about halfway through his performance.
bbno$ pulled someone onstage to sing Yung Gravy’s verses during some of the classics like “Welcome to Chili’s” and “Whip A Tesla”, and it was a kid named Ashton wearing bbno$ merch. He honestly did a great job. So great, in fact, that bbno$ kept him onstage for the entire rest of the night. I have to admit that I was a bit envious though… I’m not saying bbno$ should’ve pulled me or Sadie to do Gravy’s verses instead, but I’m not not saying that.
One of my favorite moments was before “edamame”, when both bbno$ and his DJ threw vegetables into the crowd. I’m talking, like, full heads of lettuce being hurled at people. It was hilarious. I caught a celery stalk and waved it around like a glow stick for the rest of the show. He had some really unique ways of engaging with the audience, including asking everyone to put their hands in the air and crack their knuckles at the same time. He incorporates his clear sense of humor into his performances, but still shows that he’s a talented musician. His performance of “help herself” was specifically memorable, as he grabbed a mic stand and belted out the lyrics while standing in the middle of the stage instead of jumping around like he did during his other songs. It was a strangely emotional moment, but it made sense seeing as it’s a sadder song than the rest of his discography.
Despite Foellinger being a weird venue to host a rap concert, I really had a great time. All of the performers had phenomenal stage presence and interacted well with the audience, and I felt like it was the perfect way to spend a cold Saturday night. This was my first concert of 2022, and it was an awesome start to the year!