The "Less Ordinary" Concrete & Grass Festival

I caught wind of Concrete & Grass last month, when a friend in Beijing told me she would be seeing A$AP Ferg in Beijing, and that he would be coming to Shanghai soon after. A quick Google search revealed other artists including Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Father, and Little Simz, and I was sold.

Benjamin Francis Leftwich, taken by Ana Ghiban

You may have heard about it last year, when it was still called Echo Park, and boasted former My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way. Reviews from both The Echo and other online Shanghai publications expressed enthusiastic approval of the relaxed and family-friendly environment, diverse lineup, and a truly genuine purpose of appreciating music, in stark contrast from some better-known festivals known to shove sponsored QR codes in your face upon entry.

I was pleased to see after arriving with a friend on Day 1 to discover that this trend had persisted. The Shanghai Rugby & Football Club proved itself yet again to be the perfect venue, a wide, green expanse in a dense section of Pudong, that never felt uncomfortable or crowded and was a surprisingly quick drive from school.

Taken by Ana Ghiban

Like any diverse festival, the music itself had its ups and downs.

Chinese Football, an “indie emo” band from Wuhan (and one of my personal favorite artists), put on a quiet but enjoyable show in the drizzling afternoon. They certainly were a breath of fresh air after the cringe-inducing debacle that was RAG N’ BONE, a garage-punk outfit hailing from Perth that tried way too hard and just couldn’t connect with the audience, no matter how violently they convulsed on stage.

Father, a fairly new but generally well-received rap artist from the United States delivered a satisfactory but rather boring and monotonous set on the Wooozy Dimension stage. I’d attribute it to the relaxed and minimalist nature of his music badly placed in a tent full of people expecting an aggressive finger-pointing party.

Little Simz, a young hip-hop artist from London, packed a punch with her rapid-fire flow and incredible chemistry with the audience. By the time her set rolled around I had inched my way to the barrier. No one seemed to know any of the lyrics and no one seemed to mind. She demanded “110% energy” on her last song. That’s exactly what she got and the audience was happy to give it to her.

Little Simz, taken by Ana Ghiban

And of course, the blinding highlight of the whole day was A$AP Ferg. I’ve never before been so gladly crushed and sweated on and probably never will be again. Ferg just had this incredible ability to inspire the most aggressive screaming and dancing from people who had probably heard at most three of his songs. The addition of newest A$AP Mob member Marty Baller brought double the hype for an incredibly memorable performance.

A short line of stalls off to the side of the main field yielded a diverse array of food and minimal lines. Happy Buddha, Strictly Cookies, and Spread the Bagel were the three that I opted for out of the 18 stands. They were all very tasty and reasonably priced. Food isn’t a priority at some music festivals, so this was a pleasant surprise.

Taken by Ana Ghiban

I had a fantastic experience with Concrete & Grass this year. It was organized well with great performances and food. I’m usually very finicky but in “A Place Less Ordinary,” I stopped caring about the rain poncho in my bag, the mud stains on my shoes, and the smell of sweat hanging over me. If I were you, I’d start looking into next year’s early bird tickets as soon as possible.

Stephanie Brendel