Introspection Section

The Tacos and Tequila Festival has officially wrapped in Colorado Springs, and the city showed up and showed out for the festival’s second year at UC Health Park. On Aug. 8, over 8,000 people packed into the stadium at UC Health Park, a spot that used to house the Rocky Mountain Vibes semi-professional baseball team, with full access to both the field for standing room and the bleachers for seating. Billed as the hottest throwback party of the summer, the Tacos and Tequila Festival delivered with a fantastic lineup of early 2000s hip-hop and R&B stars. This year’s lineup included huge names like Ginuwine, Chingy, Petey Pablo, Chamillionaire and T.I., just to name a few. 

Beyond the music

Music was not the only thing to do. Right near home plate of the field, a full-sized Lucha Libre ring was placed on the grounds, and high-flying wrestling matches were held in between sets. The masked wrestlers were fun to watch as they ran around the ring doing acrobatic stunts and delivering on the classic lucha libre experience. Additionally, a ton of food and drink vendors were present and selling delicious tacos and street food options. Event sponsors like Cayman Jack, Hpnotiq and XXL wine offered up samples at their tents and continued to be the fuel that kept the party going all day. Other events and activities included the exotic car show on the back end of the venue and the crowd favorite Chihuahua beauty pageant that took place halfway through the lineup. 

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The gates for the festival opened at 1:30 p.m. for VIPs and 2:00 p.m. for general admission. While the sun was still high in the air and the heat was pounding, a steady stream of attendees flowed through as the gates opened. The stadium had a very open feeling, allowing you to move easily between the seats in the bleachers or the standing room on the field. While the lack of actual grass was not the most appealing look, the ability to move around and not be jammed packed into a certain area was nice. However, the lack of shade structures was real, and the heat was approaching nearly 100 degrees as the festival kicked off. With that, water was a necessity on the festival grounds. Water refill stations were apparently not included in the festival layout, which was a clear lack of foresight. This was exacerbated by extremely long lines for any vendor that was actually selling water. Wait times in the festival for food and drinks easily took 30 minutes to an hour, not something you wanted to do twice. At the hottest time of day in one of the hottest months of the year, I think allowing for water refill stations should be standard. This point was made even clearer after the event, when many news outlets reported large numbers of heat-related illnesses and injuries occurred at the festival. While only a small number of people experienced heat-related injuries, it was clear that access to water was a problem. Even for myself, I had to stand for nearly 35 minutes in a humongous line at the bar just to buy $6 water bottles. I hope the event organizers take this concern seriously moving forward with future events. 

A Throwback Party to Remember

The music kicked off right as doors opened with DJ Shwasty, who helped keep the energy high and alive all night. Often jumping in with quick interludes of bangers in between sets of the main acts. Murphy Lee, known as a founding member of the St. Lunatics, kicked off the musical acts with a high-energy set starting at 3:30 p.m. He got the crowd moving and shaking their tail feathers early, and it was a perfect way to get a fun night started. Bubba Sparxx hit the stage next and kept the booty shaking going with “Mrs. New Booty” and other hits from his discography. Even getting a full blown sing a long to the country-influenced “Deliverance.”  Petey Pablo was the final act of the first half of the show, hitting the stage at 5:00 p.m. and delivering a slew of his own 2000s hits like “Freek-A-Leek” and the crowd favorite “Raise Up,” which naturally turned the entire crowd into helicopters as they swung shirts and towels above their heads. 

Next out was Chamillionare, who you could tell the crowd was excited for. He hit the stage with the grace and charisma that only comes with over 20 years of experience. He quickly grabbed the attention of the crowd and commanded full crowd participation. From waving arms to jumping up and down, Chamillionare matched the energy of the crowd the entire time as he cruised through his long list of Billboard-charting songs. Hitting everything from “Ridin” and “Hip-Hop Police” to the undeniably fun “Party Like a Rockstar” remix. He also paused the set for a quick second to let some Colorado locals represent their state. Calling for two rappers to come to the stage and spit a quick freestyle to the massive hometown crowd. Two emcees by the names of Spydah Man and Dirty D took the offer and jumped on stage. While one was clearly better than the other, if you were there, then you know, but both gave it their best and represented the hip-hop culture in Colorado. 

Chingy was out next and continued the party with some high-energy songs and timeless collaborations. He hit all of his classics like “Holidae Inn,” “Right Thurr” and “Balla Baby.” His on-stage presence was infectious, and the energy in the crowd grew with each song. As Chingy wrapped things up and the sun began to set behind the mountains, Ginuwine hit the stage around 7:30 pm and sent the women in the crowd into a frenzy. Dressed in all white and accompanied by matching backup vocalists, Ginuwine crushed the stage with the soul and rhythm that can only be found in the 2000s R&B. Moving through sultry hits like “Pony” and “In Those Jeans” with a smooth confidence that carried through the crowd like a lustful spell. 

As the sun dropped below the skyline and the heat finally let up, T.I hit the stage to close out the night. He breezed through a long list of hit songs that spanned over two decades in the music industry. From 2004’s “U Don’t Know Me” and 2006’s “Top Back” to Billboard #1 hits like “Whatever You Like,” It was clear that T.I could stand up there and deliver hit songs all night. 

Overall, it was an awesome night for hip-hop culture in Colorado Springs. A city that has the hunger for more live entertainment needs more nights like these to showcase what a success looks like. There was no outpouring of fights or a litany of arrests; just good vibes, good music, and a good time. Hopefully Tacos and Tequila Festival returns to the Springs next year. This time with an even bigger lineup and more of the logistical issues fine-tuned.