Mac Miller satisfies festival’s rowdy, restless crowd
The evolution of Boston’s annual free summer hip-hop show at City Hall Plaza in Government Center continued on Saturday, as a young, sometimes rowdy crowd of several thousand welcomed teenage rapper Mac Miller and a host of local talent.
At last year’s Boston Urban Music Festival, which featured a bigger, more diverse group of headliners, fans rushed the stage during Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa’s performance. This year the festival altered its format, shortening the concert to three hours and focusing squarely on the 15-to-23 age bracket.
In keeping with that focus, this year’s headliner was Mac Miller, another Pittsburgh rapper who has followed Khalifa’s path (they share the Rostrum Records label) by building a strong, young fan base through free Internet-released albums, YouTube videos, and a relentless tour schedule. A scheduled morning appearance at streetwear retailer Laced Boston drew several hundred fans, setting the tone for the afternoon.
The hot, humid weather and the restless crowd (many fans had arrived several hours before the concert) created a tricky situation for the opening acts. Local artists like beat boxer Phunk Phenomenon and MC Flem, who performed his Bruins-themed remix of Khalifa’s hit “Black & Yellow,’’ acquitted themselves well given the limitations.
Moe Pope, one of Boston’s most engaging hip-hop voices, delivered a strong performance with his band Quills, but was forced to stop at one point after sections of the crowd started throwing empty plastic bottles at the stage and at each other. Vocalist Goapele, meanwhile, suffered from being slotted as the last opener; the audience largely ignored her while clamoring for the headliner.
Rapper Moufy, whose radio-friendly appeal attracts a fan base similar to Miller’s, enjoyed the most comfortable reception. Flanked by an entourage wearing shirts emblazoned with his crew’s “Star Gang’’ logo, the Roxbury native performed songs from his newest mixtape release, “Boston Nights.’’ With chest-thumping local anthems and the Khalifa-like song “Twist It and Light It,’’ Moufy fit well into the show’s general aesthetic.
“This is the biggest show I’ve ever played!’’ said Miller, as he finally took the stage around 7 p.m. He satisfied the fans who had been waiting hours with animated performances of his high-energy cuts “Get Up’’ and “Donald Trump.’’ Miller’s enthusiastic reception not only bodes well for his own career, but also indicates that BUMF is likely to continue aggressively courting the youth audience for many summers to come.
Martín Caballero can be reached at caballeroglobe@gmail.com. 
