This Sunday, Madison residents from all walks of life gathered in the new Central Park for the first ever Yum Yum Fest, a festival fusing gourmet food and Midwestern music.
Despite taking place just one week after Taste of Madison, tickets sold out within the first hour and a half, confirming once-and-for-all Madison’s unconditional love of food and good vibes. Though on paper very similar to Taste of Madison, Yum Yum Fest presented a much more upscale array of dishes. There were no bacon-wrapped cheese curds here. Instead, more than 30 local chefs and 25 restaurants served drinks and small, complicated dishes at $5 a pop. Visitors sprawled across picnic blankets gorged themselves on ricotta gnocchi, gelato, porchetta, burrata, and many other plates that were as delicious as they were unpronounceable.
Each band came to the stage with incredible energy. As the afternoon went on, and the bellies filled up, the focus shifted more and more from the food to the music.
The crowd swelled organically during the performance of Orgone, a huge soul band with a decade of time logged on the road. Between their thumping rhythm section and their stunning, crystal clear, gritty vocals, there was never a dull moment.
Next, rap-goddess Lizzo, took the high bar set by Orgone and burned it for fuel. Completely undeterred by a serious foot injury, she came onstage with a bedazzled, white cane, which held her up as she gyrated. As the show went on, she drew energy from the crowd, eventually abandoning the cane completely and dancing as if she felt no pain at all.
Her vocals were not haunted by the monotone shouting that plagues many rap shows. Instead she rapped with just as much presence as the record, dancing all the while, making for a show that was as interesting to listen to as it was to watch.
The energy grew exponentially. At one point in the show, she invited a male audience member up on stage to dance with her. “Can you twerk?” she asked. He nodded, the beat dropped, and the booty dancing commenced in full force. The man danced for half a song before being led off the stage by the hype woman and applauded loudly by the crowd.
Four Fists, a Minnesota rap-duo featuring P.O.S. and Astronautalis, began the show by talking about all the foods they had sampled at the fest. Astronautalis talked about the wonders of sucking out shrimp brains and P.O.S., who had not braved the shrimp brains, wholeheartedly lauded a dish of “gelatinous seafood goo.”
After their second song, Four Fists abandoned the stage completely and took to rapping in the middle of the audience, where they remained for the rest of the show. It was a fitting bit of symbolism for two rappers who scorn false appearances and materialism to come down from the stage and place themselves right there with their fans. Audience members circled around them, jumping wildly with the artists for hits including “Get Down,” and “Goodbye,” without a hint of self-aware awkwardness.
P.O.S., who as of late has been recovering from a kidney transplant, asked audience members to invite them to parties after the show, proclaiming, “You don’t need kidneys to process alcohol.”
The sun set as they worked through their solo discographies (as a duo, Four Fists has only recorded two songs). The show drew to a close at about 8:30 p.m., making perhaps the only time in Madison history where it was possible to see a high-energy rap show and get to sleep by 10.
