Fest attendees Ty and Al, photo by Ray Tamarra
Nina Sky brought out the sun to jumpstart the festival on Saturday, doing the expected “Oye Mi Canto,” then taking time to slow things down as Natalie brought out her 6 string for “Faded Memories.” Just when it couldn’t get any hotter, Jagged Edge stormed the stage. Things cooled quickly with half-assed choreography and a 10-minute break during their 40-minute set. Which may have been why the crowd was so hyped when 112 took over, satiating the females’ need for eye chocolate and the guys’ need for an excuse to show their soft sides while mouthing the words to “Missing You.” Having gorged themselves on manwiches, the crowd began to chant for Ciara, who stepped out in old school fly and to no one’s surprise KO’d “1, 2 Step” like Ali did Foreman.
Ciara, photo by Ray Tamarra
But it was John Legend who brought the crowd to church, making the heavens weep while kicking things off with “Get Lifted.” By far the best act of the day, Legend had everyone from brothers to mamís to frat boys stomping their feet in the mud and praising the Good Man for blessing Legend with a voice that literally made lightning strike just as he was teaching his parishioners how to “Live It Up.” The rain and thunder refused to make way for the shine Legend clearly worked so hard for. His set (and eventually the Fest) was cut short to a chorus of boos. Boyz II Men never got a chance to remind concertgoers what they’d been missing all these years. Day 2 Sunday’s weather looked more promising, though the humidity plus the lackluster sets by Fatty Koo and Raheem DeVaughn made the first part of the day as tired as Kanye’s self name-checking. The Fest was in bad need of a breath of Lyfe, which is exactly what he gave them, droppin’ base on “My Life” and letting go of his lockdown time through feel-the-pain vocals on “Stick Up Kid” and “Made Up My Mind.”
Common, photo by Ray Tamarra
Once again, the performances proved to be too forceful for Mother Nature. Common’s set would be the last, due to rain. Like Chicago's notorious wind, Common left a lasting impression when he killed “Be” on one knee, held down “The Corner,” and extracted a fan from the crowd to accompany him while he performed “Come Close to Me.” The MusicFest ended premature, sadly shutting out heavies Faith Evans and Brian McKnight. But even with the notable missing acts, Rochester still stood up alongside Legend, Lyfe, and Common to show it was undoubtedly the place to be. CLICK HERE to see more pictures from the Rochester MusicFest. Do you have a summer concert story to tell? CLICK HERE to share.
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