While I try to keep my event reviews unbiased, this may be the first time I must break that rule. The reason for this rule breaking is due to my involvement in the preparation of this EXCLUSIVE high-level experience. Midnite Club was a message to the culture and the city of what can be accomplished when you remove your ego and truly LOVE the culture.

Opening Acts

Since we had a jam packed line up we had to get the crowd hype. To give them some time to settle in we had various opening acts showcasing their talent. Many of these acts had one or two songs so the line up went by fairly quickly.

During some of the opening acts I was still in the green room conducting interviews so I did miss them. Regardless of what time you went and how much coverage I was able to provide you are appreciated for your time.

Chill Bill got the crowd hype with some shout outs. He then introduced Aidan Valentine who expressed some gratitude and sat on a stool for his song which was produced by Kung Pao. It was a bit of a slower song. Next up Chill introduced Double Ontendre, from Chicago. His song was a bit harder than the previous act. He worked the stage and did his thing. His next song was also hype as fuck. He’s a beast. To everyone’s surprise he got another song, luckily he was ready to go and that shows a lot of professionalism. This is also when I came out of the green room.

Chill really made the show what it was with his race themed intros. Up next we had a “two-piece” Metra Flako and SkoTT Summ3r2 with one song. Metra is always one of my favs to watch perform. I also have to shout out Skott for his dedication since he left work for this performance and then went right back. That’s dedication right there! They got to do two songs and had the second mic working at this point. They lit up that stage, holy shit!!

Hitting the stage next was Rizzi Konway. His performance was different because he started off wearing a mask and then did some songs without it. He started off being our camp counselor and having a blast on stage. He has a big personality and commands attention while on stage. Appropriately, he took off his mask for a song about it being hot in this bitch.

It was time for a little break with Kung Pao spinning some tracks and time for everyone to get a drink. I mean the “Fuck my Coworkers” song always hits. Tact came on the stage and gave us some background on himself and his vision for this event. Next up we had Welles Maddingly who started off by asking everyone to meow. Yes meow like a fucking cat. I mean I guess. She was the first artist to use her visuals. A lot of her performance as dependent on the video so it was a start and stop kind of thing. It was an eccentric performance. At some point she went to sit down and then got right up for the song.

The crowd was quiet as hell so Chill Bill had to get everyone hype again. He described it as taking a gas break. We had a five minute intermission for Kung Pao to do his thing. Purl Skudd was up next to rip the stage in his flowery attire. He stood out with that outfit alone. he came in hot and fast; the appropriate speed for a street race. He is soo much fun to watch and listen to.

During this down time, Tact took some time to talk to the crowd and perform some songs for us. We were waiting on the next performer so it was the perfect time. Yung Tact did his thing per usual. He’s a seasoned performer at this point and could probably do this in his sleep. He really just has fun with his songs and doesn’t take this too seriously.

Jayoo Da Boss came up next and brought a girl on stage. I must say the shirts do make you remember his name. I think the girl was supposed to be his hype person but she kind of just sat on the stool in the corner. Jayo definitely has some catchy lyrics to get you to sing along. On the fourth song the girl finally got up and tried working the crowd.

Coming all the way from Detroit we had Sigidy who was dancing around immediately. He had to run his first track back and made sure to get the crowd engaged. He had us bouncing with him and was more focused on having fun then rapping to us. He just wanted us to vibe with him so that’s what we did. Chill Bill came back and got us ready for the transition to DJ Kit Kat. This gave me some time to go to the green room and get some more interviews done.

Featured Artists

After a deejay switch (Kung Pao needed a break) and performance break we got to the featured acts of the night. Originally there were many others set to perform but there were some issues we could not resolve. However, things always work out and our featured guests really showed out and got us ready for the major performances of the night. A super secret surprise guest that came through and tore up the stage was Yung Tact’s cousin Tha Mistress. The intro was emotional and a full circle moment for the family.

Next up we had Erb Dean who gave us two hot solo tracks. Then instead of pausing for an intro he segued directly into Myah Storm by doing a joint song they have titled “Give It Up“. After this Myah had a solo song and brought on another super secret surprise for Midnite Club patrons: Smokey Smothers. They did “Not a Drill” together. Then to give Smokey her time to shine, she ended the set with her hit “Cook”.

Major Performers

While Yung Tact was a major act for the night, he did not have a specific time to go on stage. However, he would perform here and there whenever there was some time. As an organizer and major player of the night he had a lot on his plate. Starting off our major performances we had J.U.S. from the Bruiser Brigade. He brought his deejay to help out with his set. The crow was really engaged and the further into his set he got the more energy he put in.

Next up we had our homie Mic Terror get on stage. I love every time he performs. Chiddy Bang is such a catchy song and he is a very animated performer. He also performed Lori Lightfoot because he has the biggest dick in Chicago. Chill Bill got us ready for the next performance and made sure we didn’t run out of gas. He asked us a basic trivia question which I obviously got right as a Fast and Furious fan.

He then introduced Rufus Sims who had his deejay doing his thing. Interesting to note he does not practice his sets so a lot is off the dome. While this is impressive it also means he might skip a song or two when it comes on depending on the vibes. He knows how to work the stage. He is another artist who commands attention. Next up we had Freddie Old Soul and I do not have a lot of footage for her because I was getting high off ice cream from one of the vendors (Chill Bars) and handling some other business.

The moment we have all been waiting for has arrived and that is when Sir Michael Rocks hit the stage. The venue did start to die down at this point which is wild because we had a legend in the building. Everyone who was in the building understood the assignment though. He started by shouting out everyone who performed. He didn’t have a set list from what I could tell so he also semi-winged. Pretty much what the deejay would put on he would get right into it and give us some background to get us ready.

Since he was our closer he had one of the longer sets and took us out. You just had to be there to get the full experience. At some point he was impressed and distracted by the screen since we had Midnight Club playing in the background.

After Sir Mike, Roy French was also able to perform a song while we got ready for DJ Taye from Tek Life to take us until the venue shut us down. I missed this as I went back to the green room to get some final interviews. It was definitely a night to remember.

Overall Experience

This was a historic experience but that’s my bias opinion. It was a stressful few months getting everything together but we did it. Would I do something of this magnitude again? Probably not, unless it was with this team. The crowd seemed to enjoy themselves and many stayed until the bitter end. While everything may have seemed smooth on the outside I would be remise to say there were some issues on the back end, primarily with the venue. Fortunately, we were able to resolve some of these, but not all.

I would add another note as well. At times the venue seemed less full than it was due to the green room and patio access we had that night. While these can be beneficial in some instances, this night they called too much attention away from the reason we were actually there. This would probably be something I would work on in the future. Implementing an artist liaison or limited access to these spaces may help. I would also organize my interviews better in the future and ensure there is a designated space to avoid disrespect, chaos and fit more in. The interviews were a complete surprise to everyone so I will add that tidbit. Like I said, I will always keep it honest even when it comes to something I am involved in.

Overall, there is so much I can say about Midnite Club. It was one for the books and it is sure to be something that is talked about for the foreseeable future. It is no easy feet to get all of these acts together in one room. This can only be done when people come together and pool their resources. At the center of the orbit, however, is Yung Tact. He brought all of the organizers, investors, artists, DJs, hosts and many others together. Even if someone came because they knew someone else, Tact is the reason we were all there.

This was his goal for many years and he accomplished it. While Tact is taking a break from the event space to focus on music, the other organizers are still working on events and other projects throughout the city. Make sure you tap in with the colorful commentator and host for the evening Chill Bill. You also want to keep an eye on Kung Pao who is all over the world bringing opportunities to all he can.

And of course stay up to date with me, Melly Starz, one of the investors and partners on this event. The return of Melly’s Couch is quickly approaching and you won’t want to miss the incredible guests I’ll be having on. You never know what else I will get into, maybe I’ll be hosting another event or bringing you a festival. You truly never know what is up my sleeve. Shit I barely do…

To work together on something, get media coverage or submit your music reach out to mellystarzsubmissions@gmail.com or head to our services and contact pages.