During SXSW, at least one of your favorite artists will make an appearance. That being said, here are two artists who drew in the most (and craziest) fans.
J. Cole
J. Cole brought his highly anticipated Dreamville Tour through Austin, Texas for the SXSW music portion of the festival. When arriving about an hour early to the venue, there were probably more than 3,000 people waiting around the venue in one of the various lines (badges, wristbands, tickets, and public). The venue fits only 2,700 people, and even at capacity, the eager fans didn’t leave the line in hopes that the ‘one in one out’ method would work out for them. The additional 200 people in line for public sale tickets were just wishful thinkers standing in the rain for seemingly no reason.
Once inside, fans waited around til J. Cole went on nearly 30 minuets late than his planned set time. He opened with his new single “Wet Dreamz,” and the place erupted. Mosh pits were started, people were jumping, and all the girls were screaming in awe. He then played “Friday Night Lights,” and almost everyone in the building was singing along to every word. Cole kept thanking the crowd throughout the set for waiting so long to get in. He then played some of his best throwbacks including “Work Out” and “Power Trip.” The show is being called ‘the show to be at during SXSW 2015’ by multiple outlets, and it wouldn’t have been that without the passionate fans that J. Cole accumulated.
Yung Lean
Yung Lean’s appearance at the Tumblr Fuck Yeah/Entourage party drew in some crazy fans. While the line wrapped around the building and on either side of the sidewalk, his fans still showed up at least 8 hours prior to the doors opening. When the venue announced a badge line would have first entry, the kids in the front started to curse out South By registrants, and were far from happy. If that doesn’t scream passionate, then I’m not sure what does. During Yung Lean’s set, mosh pits were started, kids in the front were mushed against the stage, and some even had to hold onto speakers for balance. The kids holding on for dear life even caused the speakers to move around the stage due to the aggressive nature of the crowd. Yung Lean played a little too far after his cut-off time, so the sound got shut off to get him off the stage. Other artists were there to perform too, but the fans did not like that. One audience member jumped on stage and started cursing out the venue and insisting they ‘let him play.’ It was mayhem.