Let’s face it, the music industry is run by greedy, racist, sexist, homophobic, sociopathic, tacky, white, “straight”, cis, male fucking idiots. But somehow, by some incomprehensible miracle, there still manages to be good music that seeps through the cracks in the industry…and III Points was smart/lucky enough to feature some of them! The crown jewel of III Points was a pentagram of 5 femme performers piercing through the nights of the weekend.
YAEJI
Yaeji consummated a devoted orgy of local fans that nobody saw coming — especially for her first time in Miami! She actually showed everybody what it really means to be an underground superstar. It was a literal outbreak of sweaty writhing and rapping along to her English AND Korean lyrics.
PEGGY GOU
Peggy Gou was a groundbreaking DJ shining even more light – along with Yaeji – on how talented yet underrepresented Asian-American women are in the American music industry. She stood out amongst other late-night DJ acts, offering an electrifying atmosphere and making full use out of Isotropic.
SZA
Sza was a whimsical and defining feel-good moment, serving us some modern-day RnB Woodstock energy. She had nothing but love to give…the perfect sway with your bae and makeout inappropriately moment. She knows how to ease a crowd in, get them lit, and roll them out.
PUSSY RIOT
Pussy Riot was obviously a countercultural moment of feminist power. Blending punk sounds with schoolgirl choreography along with their iconic look, they whisper and scream against society’s bullshit. Even if you don’t know the injustices they’ve been through in Russia, know this: they’re not fucking around.
ERYKAH BADU
Erykah Badu’s iconic soulful energy was humping and rolling through the air – including a pre-ceding wake-the-fuck-up moment a la Dream Defenders. She could stand in a single spot and still command the entire stage and audience. She oozes charisma, enigma, and domination…and lets everyone know what it’s like to witness a legend.
These heroines ran the shit out of the scene, and their moments will be remembered by a generation of music lovers…except the blacked-out ones.
When it came to the overall vibe, III Points played out like a Suwannee fest for aspiring IG baddies.
An obvious fashion trend of underground queer culture leaking into mainstream efforts for envelope-pushing coolness could be noticed permeating the grounds.
It was a perfect storm for clout-hungry Gen-Zers, with its would-be immersive installations serving as drive-by photo-ops. They were rolling balls and taking [IG user-] names.
The big name acts drew thirsty crowds, while many of the local sets were muted, and lacked energy even from contemporary friends, artists, and collaborators in the audience. The sweet spot came in the audiences of up-and-coming artists with growing but established cult followings — Yaeji being a prime example.
It’s almost too obvious to point out the microcosmic analogy for the current state of society..mainly an American media and pop/youth culture that is more obsessed with appearance and profitability than they are with quality and emotional depth.
But through it all, the moment was anchored by devoted music experiences, that were created by artists with a true connection to passionate, expressive creation…which will hopefully continue to speak louder than their commercial confines and capitalistic gears.
III Points does not create the culture of superficiality, it provides a space to feed this superficial culture what it’s seeking, while also feeding it genuine experiences of music and art that ideally help enrich and ignite a cultural evolution.