THE CROWD
The event was 18 and up, and the audience was a younger adult crowd of about 25 years of age on average. The whole scene was a vibe, the party stayed lit the entire night, with Hip Hop, Reggaeton, and Top 40 sounds by DJ Wet Li and Big Mac. We also spotted former Spurs star point guard, Tony Parker, in VIP.
There were two entrances and already a short line as the doors of the main entry opened for the “University Kickoff”. Less than thirty minutes later, the line at the side entrance had quickly extended toward the sidewalk leading to the Alamodome. The event rapidly became jam-packed, with wall-to-wall partygoers. Walking through the crowd comfortably was close to impossible; it was best to find a spot to stand in and stay there.
COST
Tickets were sold in 4 tiers, beginning at $40 (Tier 1), increasing at each tier, ending at $66 the day before the event (Tier 4). Tickets sold out on the day of the event, hours before doors opened. On social media, people were scrambling to try to figure out how they could still buy entry to the show.
OUR COVERAGE
Two of our UTSA college interns, Desirée and Jordyn covered the event, observing crowd reactions and capturing video footage of the crowd and of San Antonio hip hop artists that opened up for Moneybagg.
We also had the opportunity to ask each artist a few questions leading up to their performance.
Here is what they said:
AMB EZ (@amb.ez)
When asked how he felt about opening up for Moneybagg Yo and representing the city, he said, “I feel good I think it’s gonna be a great show.”
He said that in preparation for the show, it was “Nothing too different from any other performance, just gotta know how to turn it on for show time.”
He said he was “Really looking forward to seeing my people enjoy a win we been working hard.”
He has an EP project dropping January 22nd, called “Underrated”.
Check out his music video to “Godzilla”:
SWA JACKK (@wofgng__swajackk)
AMB EZ brought out Swa Jackk during his set, for a song they have together, called “Paid”. We had the chance to check in with Jackk before their performance, and here is what he said about how he prepared:
“I just practice my set all week try not to talk to much & I suck on lemon’s lol no diddy just to keep my voice good for the show & get real medicated lol”.
Swa indicated that he has a mixtape “coming sometime this year” and collaborations with a couple of artists dropping this year.
Check out his single, “Outside” :
BLACK MEXICO (@black_mexico_48)
When asked how he felt about opening up for Moneybagg Yo and representing the city, he replied, “I actually feel honored to open up for Moneybagg Yo as well as representing San Antonio.. It’s a blessing..”
He said that the way he prepares himself before a big performance, is by talking to God and to as his [late] mom.
Black Mexico said that he was most looking forward to “giving an amazing show”, as well as to his “people”.
Check out Black Mexico’s “Gangsta Muzik” video:
THE PERFORMANCES
AMB EZ kicked off the show, setting the party mood with an upbeat performance and lots of energy. His stage presence was star quality, as he electrified the crowd during his 3-song set, beginning with “Godzilla”.
For his second song, he brought out Swa Jackk to perform their track, “Paid”. Swa Jackk never disappoints in the energy department, bringing additional finesse.
The pair was attentive to the mood of the audience, delivering their lyrics flawlessly. Swa stayed on stage as AMB EZ closed with his viral hit single, “Birthday”. The song currently has over 259,000 views on YouTube alone.
Moneybagg Yo chilled in VIP before coming on stage around 1:00 AM. He mostly vibed with the crowd as his songs “Wockesha” and others played. His show demeanor was in straight chill “party” mode, which was a vibe all in itself. He showed the crowd some love, grabbing an attendee’s phone to rap on video in selfie-style.
He vocally performed two songs before leaving the stage. Silver sparkling confetti poured down from the ceiling of the venue as if it was a New Year’s celebration, as he performed “Said Sum”. The crowd sang along as they captured their own videos. There was a section of ladies that was especially turnt.
To our surprise and everyone else’s, Black Mexico did not perform before Moneybagg Yo as originally expected. Due to some issues before going on stage (as he later described in a live video on his Facebook page), he ended up performing after headliner Moneybagg Yo, making him the official closing act of the night.
The “Boss Niggas Only” (BNO) trap artist performed a few of his tracks in a solid performance, including the popular “Heard You Was Sayin Something”, and crowd favorite “Gangsta Muzik”. His BNO crew rocked the stage with him, hyping the performance as he rocked the mic.
The crowd’s upbeat energy was not as present as it had been with earlier performances, as many fans appeared confused about the order of artist appearances since Moneybagg Yo had already performed.
Although visibly frustrated by the lack of crowd enthusiasm, Black Mexico still delivered a strong set to the packed audience. We noticed many fans bobbing their heads to “Gangsta Muzik”, which was clearly the crowd’s favorite from his set, as they appeared to begin to catch on to the contagiously catchy hook and also mouth the words.
He finished the night strong and showed up for his people, as he had stated in his pre-show interview as being one of his expectations for the night.
At the time, we were unaware that Black Mexico was going to perform after Moneybagg Yo, so our team was not in the best stage position to capture his performance on camera, however we were able to obtain footage from one of our other staff affiliate members who happened to be in attendance.
Recap video:
Conclusion
The night was definitely one for the books and a good look for San Antonio’s urban nightlife scene. A sold out event is difficult to come by, but it was achieved and done well.
We thank Power Gate for granting us media access to cover the event. Congratulations to Power Gate, Mr. Promotions, their booking agent Lil Jay, and 1902 on a successful event.
Follow:
Power Gate Entertainment
https://www.powergatepresents
IG @powergatepresents
Mr. Promotion LLC
IG @mrpromotionllc
1902 Nightclub
IG @1902satx
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Check out these artists and more on our SaTown Hip Hop Spotify playlist:
Revisions: Updated event details, added video embed, follow info 1/21/25
