It was a fun day Sunday as Summerstage held its first Family Day of the season! With Willie Mae Rock Camp For Girls, Black Girls Rock, and Unlocking the Truth, the kid-friendly concert displayed the fire of the next generation.
Willie Mae Rock celebrated it’s 10th Anniversary this year, showcasing one of their alumni bands, Harsh Crowd. The four piece punk band got off on the right foot singing songs of teenage crush angst and rebellion. They covered Radiohead’s “Creep” and performed their songs “Fine,” and “Don’t Ask Me,” among others.
DJ Diamond Kuts rocked the interim getting the grown crowd on the floor with “Wobble” and “Electric Slide” before Beverly Bond and the Black Girls Rock girls came on. BGR’s mentorship program supports African-American girls from all over the world, and some of Beverly’s youth came out to perform. BGR sang covers of Alicia Keys' “New Day”, and Imagine Dragons' “Radioactive,”while poet Mercy Jaye performed her “Shut It” and “Empire” poetry and song. Abby the DJ kept the crowd live before the BGR girls ended with a chilling rendition of the once-televised BGR performance of For Colored Girls … “Four Women.”
Next, Omari Mizrahi and Ephrat Asherie, dance extraordinaires, got the kids poppin’ and locking on the stage, playing songs that they knew the dances to like Silento’s “Watch Me Whip (Nae Nae).”
Unlocking The Truth closed the latter portion of the show with some heavy metal. They rocked out with “Help Me,” “Other Side,” “Escape,” “Native's Thorne,” “Spiritual Wannabe,” and more. Whether it’s on one knee jamming on the bass, or bending their heads backward while they play to show they know their chords, the band’s performance had no dull moments.
Who says the future isn’t bright? Sunday proved that there are many youth who want to change the world for the better.-GB
(Propers: Merissa Blitz/ City Parks Foundation)
