When OutKast announced their reunion in early 2014, it was if light finally shined on fans who have wandered aimlessly in the dark since 2006 (the year OutKast released their last album, Idlewild).
Andre 3000 and Big Boi, the tandem responsible for the rise of Atlanta’s thriving hip-hop scene, were coming back and all would be right in the world.
However, many Atlanta-based OutKast fans were confused on the chosen location for the first reunion show. Coachella is the premiere music festival and often has the feel of a new age version of Woodstock. But while the atmosphere at Coachella may resemble a Woodstock-like vibe, many of the festival goers aren’t staunch fans of music.
In 2013, Jimmy Kimmel produced an hilarious segment where festival-goers were asked if they attended shows by artists that didn’t exist. Each person interviewed lied about seeing the phantom acts in an attempt to seem cool. It was a telling sign that much of the crowd at Coachella are just upper-middle class kids who are casual music fans. It’s basically like the pseudo-hipsters who hang in art galleries without knowing the history of the artists featured.
So it’s not a surprise that the casual music fans at Coachella were lackluster during much of OutKast’s set. Andre 3000 brought up the lackluster energy several times during the set by asking, “Y’all still there? Y’all alive?” At one point, he turned his back on the crowd as he performed “Hey Ya.” It could’ve been his way to pay homage to Miles Davis who often performed with his back to the crowd, but some consider it a slight to the lukewarm audience response.
To make matters worse, the duo’s set was cut short. It was an awkward ending to a night that should’ve gone down as one of the biggest moments in hip-hop history.
OutKast will perform 39 more dates so they’ll have an opportunity to perform before crowds that will be more energetic. But Coachella should’ve never had the opportunity to host the first OutKast reunion concert. The duo means too much to be relegated to a slew of fans who are clueless on the group’s overall impact.
In the words of Upscale magazine’s Jacinta Howard, the reunion concert should’ve taken place on Headland and Delowe, or somewhere in the vicinity of ATL.
