For the first time in a long time, Frost Amphitheater saw a lot of action over the weekend between national headlining acts and Stanford’s own homegrown entertainment.
First up in Saturday’s Frost Revival Concert was Benjamin Francis Leftwich, a singer-whisperer-songwriter from York, England, who just ended his national tour. He delivered a short set that warmed up the crowd, just he and his guitar, followed by an animated performance by Provo, Utah’s, Eyes Lips Eyes. Front man Tony Hello, sporting blond locks that hark back to Robert Plant from back in the day, kicked around a trash can for a bit and danced with the Stanford tree before relinquishing the stage to the headliner, Modest Mouse (above).
Modest Mouse delivered. The band played 14 songs in the hot sun, including a debut performance of Heart of Mine from its upcoming release before returning to the stage for a three-song encore. The 4,500-plus members of the audience could not have been happier.
Sunday’s Blackfest saw a smaller crowd, but the devoted fans of E-40 and Kendrick Lamar filled Frost with high energy.
Contributing to the festivities before the headliners were Stanford Greeks and the East Palo Alto youth empowerment group Mural Music & Arts Project. MMAP’s breakout star, Fat Boy, treated the crowd to some inspired Dougie moves during an on-stage dance-off while impromptu dance lines popped up in the crowd.
E-40 and Kendrick Lamar delivered short, impactful sets that had the audience singing along and bouncing in rhythm to the beats. Lamar wrapped up the show by jumping down into the crowd and communing with the fans. He came back for a one-song encore and finished for good at precisely 6:59 p.m. – just in time to catch the solar eclipse.
