Eclectic concert for Forbes event
The Forbes Under 30 Summit came to Philadelphia on Monday and Tuesday, closing, as it did last year, with a music festival Tuesday night, held this year at Festival Pier. Forbes tried to home in on millennial tastes and booked pop singer Shawn Mendes and rapper A$AP Rocky, along with grown-up brother-band Hanson and electric violinist Lindsey Stirling.
The Forbes Under 30 Summit came to Philadelphia on Monday and Tuesday, closing, as it did last year, with a music festival Tuesday night, held this year at Festival Pier. Forbes tried to home in on millennial tastes and booked pop singer Shawn Mendes and rapper A$AP Rocky, along with grown-up brother-band Hanson and electric violinist Lindsey Stirling.
Mendes and Rocky bookended an eclectic evening aimed at running the gamut of twentysomething tastes. It had been plagued by cancellations. The original lineup consisted of Avicii, Hanson, and Stirling. Then Avicii bowed out, replaced by Mendes and Fetty Wap. Then came Fetty Wap's motorcycle accident. Enter A$AP Rocky to take the final slot.
The free concert was open to the public, but the crowd was largely composed of nametag-wearing young influencers from the summit at the Convention Center, still in their heels and blazers.
Mendes, toting an acoustic guitar, was greeted by a high-pitched welcome from the crowd. The Vine-turned-Billboard-chart-topping star sailed charmingly through a stripped-down set, including the single "Stitches" and a cover of Plain White T's "Hey There, Delilah."
The true stars of the night were Hanson, who put the younger performers to shame. Sliding seamlessly through their nearly two-decade repertoire, Hanson hit on funky grooves, tight harmonies, and fan favorites like "MMMBop" and "Penny and Me," along with triumphant covers of "I Want to Take You Higher" and "Dancing in the Street." Hanson excelled despite being an early act sandwiched amid an awkward progression of artists.
With the tough task of following Hanson, Stirling made her way across the stage, shimmying and high-kicking through intricate violin runs augmented by live percussion. Stirling's quirkiness became an Instagram-worthy moment for concertgoers. Talented? Extremely. Spellbinding? Definitely. Appropriate for the occasion? Maybe not.
Less a booming finale and more a disappointing showboat, A$AP Rocky (notoriously and habitually late to gigs) finally took to the stage after a 35-minute delay, during which two DJ/hype men tried to rouse the crowd. With a noise ordinance going into effect at 11 p.m., Rocky had a measly 25 minutes to deliver on what many came to the show specifically to see. An ignited audience danced along to "M's" and A$AP Ferg's "Shabba." But the lateness and shortness took a big toll.
The concert was the finale to an off-base festival that served primarily as a glorified, high-priced networking opportunity. A talk by Tinder cofounder and CEO Sean Rad did serve a purpose in inspiring strong leadership skills, but some talks faltered under a lack of focus. And there were off moments, such as Michelle Phan's offhanded comment that depression comes from boredom.
The largest oversight was the lack of Philadelphia influence at summit and concert alike. The lineup of talks and panels drew no inspiration from the city in which they were held, from the chefs highlighted at the opening food festival to the panel called "How to be a boss when you haven't had a boss."
@allieevolpe