Fans had a lot on their minds Saturday during the (almost) all-day Boom 94.5 Music Festival, subtitled "Classic Hip-Hop Meets Zydeco & the Blues."
Burning questions such as:
"Did Juvenile even come?" You probably missed him; he went on before 4 p.m.
"Why are so many concerts going on at one time?" Fair Park has a lot of land, with more music venues than you can shake a drum stick at. The cowboy-booted crowd headed one way to Gexa Energy Pavilion for Lady Antebellum, while the comfortable-shoe crowd headed the other.
"Do you know who's closing out the show?" Ha! (I didn't mean to laugh.) Scarface, of course.
Most of all, though, talk centered on the boxing match that almost wasn't. The title bout between flamboyant Floyd Mayweather and shy statesman Manny Pacquiao was one that Sports Illustrated had put on its cover and deemed the "fight of the century." That explained the fan flight around 8 p.m., while old-school stalwart Sir Charles Jones was in the middle of his set.
Chaudia Jackson, though, had been there almost from the beginning. She came to the show with family who live in the Dallas area.
"I was really glad I came," she said. "I liked the atmosphere."
The radio station had done as much as possible to make people comfortable. Tents were allowed and were scattered about. And if people weren't yet sitting, their portable chairs were in position in case of emergency. There was enough room that no one was crowded, even when attendance was at its peak.
Vendors lined Esplanade 4, leading to a stage flanked on one side by a tent with a full bar and on the other by something labeled "festival food." There were charging lockers for folks whose phones needed a boost. And backstage smelled like a family reunion picnic; the festival was advertised as a long one, after all.
That length may have done some people in. Kimberly Sylvan of Lewisville said she had heard on the radio that gates would open at noon, and her tickets, she noted, said the festival was scheduled to last to 11:30.
"I would have been here earlier if it was a time schedule somewhere," she said while Scarface played in the background. It was only 9.
But more cited the fight as they hurried to the exits.
"I came for Mystikal, but the fight's tonight. I gotta get home and get ready," said Denise Phelps of New Orleans, home to half of the rap artists on the bill, which also included beloved Houston native and UGK co-founder Bun B.
Louisiana was well-represented with Step Rideau & the Zydeco Outlaws and Brian Jack & the Zydeco Gamblers. Helping keep the regional vibe were San Antonio's Mel Waiters and Dallas resident Don Diego.
Many left before Scarface even hit the stage - even though "we're having a wonderful time," said "Fabulous" Freda Horrice, an eighth-grade teacher from Frisco.
It was a time made better by the crisp sound. More rap concerts should be outside. There was little to no reverb because of the wide-open space. Every word could be understood, so there was no misunderstanding as Scarface began and ended his set quickly with a familiar refrain:
"I know everybody ready to go to the fight so I'm gonna be real quick. I'm a show y'all what I mean."
He made good on his promise, galloping through more than 20 years of hits in about 30 minutes. He even managed to go back to "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" from his Geto Boys days.
To his credit, he performed as if 20,000 people were there, instead of the few hundred who remained.
Thing is, the crowd could have stayed. The economical sets fit with the economical nature of the festival. (At one point, tickets sold for just $15.)
In the end, time was on everybody's side.
