Day N Vegas brought thousands of fans to America’s playground to enjoy three days of live performances over the weekend of November 12. To put on a memorable event for eager concertgoers, many of whom may have been experiencing their first festival since Covid-19 rocked the music industry, organizers at Goldenvoice curated a stacked roster of performers.
The full lineup included over 80 entertainers total, from headliners Kendrick Lamar and Tyler, the Creator to relative newcomers Victoria Monet and Beanz (who both made their 2021 festival debuts at Day N Vegas’ Dean Tent).
On the ground, VIBE caught up with some of the acts for details on their Day N Vegas experiences both on and off stage. Read excerpts of our conversations below:
These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
Las Vegas, CA – November 12: Lucky Daye performs on the Sammy Stage on the first day of the three-day Day N Vegas hip-hop music festival at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds in Las Vegas Friday, Nov. 12, 2021.
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
VIBE: What do you do to prepare for a festival like this?
Lucky Daye: I just try to see it earlier than I got to do it. It depends where it is and when it is. If it’s upbeat or if it’s lowkey. I like to close my eyes and picture what it’s going to be before I even think about making a show. And workout and smoke (laughs).
Baby Tate: We do rehearsals. Unfortunately, for this show I was super sick before the show. I could really only do one rehearsal, which was very scary for me. But, I retain choreo very well, thank God. We do that and we just pray. We do a lot of preparing outfits and things like that.
Beanz: Me and my DJ, we rehearse, you know what I mean? And I like to eat a good meal. I missed that today, so I’m definitely gonna go eat right after we done here. I just like to eat a good meal, get a good night’s rest. Sometimes we can’t do that, like last night. I didn’t get a good night’s rest, but as long as we do the rehearsals, I feel like that’s the most important part. Long as we got that down, we can do it anytime.
Beanz performs during Day N Vegas Nov. 13, 2021
Day N Vegas / Loren Toney
Teamarrr: I usually have my tea. My honey [stays] with me in my bag at all times. My manager, Mo, got me special honey that’s real smooth [and] hits the spot for the stage. Then I pull a card or a verse from the Bible. I try to pray [or] meditate before. Really centering myself. [I] ground myself, spend a little time, then I try my best to go through the talking points with the audience. What am I going to say? How am I going to get them excited?
Joyce Wrice: I take everything that I do very seriously when it comes to live vocals and [performances]. I love choreography, I really love putting on a show. When my budget gets better, I’m gonna put on a production. I’m very inspired by Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Janet [Jackson.] It’s very important for me to prepare months in advance. It’s been a lot of [vocal training], choreography and exercise so I can have the stamina and endurance to do everything that I would like to do. So, it’s been a good couple months of training.
Duckwrth: [I] study a bunch of other artists who do arenas and festivals, like from like the 80s, All around [the] 70s and 80s. Prince, Freddie Mercury, Bad Brains, Michael [Jackson].
What are some of your favorite songs to perform?
Lucky Daye: Mostly I’m looking forward to performing “Over,” my first single from my second album. There’s going to be flyers that are coming out in February or March, and I’m going on tour in March. I’m excited to start this new wave.
Baby Tate: “Pedi” is one of my favorites perform now. “I Am” is always a favorite. I love how the crowd is saying affirmations with me. It feels great to know that people are saying these things, and they know the words. Those two are my favorite [but] I love performing every song. I love performing my singing songs. “Focus”… they be like, “oooh hold on, I didn’t know she could sing like that.”
Beanz: “Crackin.” We just performed it. It went up…they was fkin with it. “Blow Me” is one of my favorites. “Wake Me Up When I’m Dreaming,” everybody always loves that one.
DuckWrth: “Too bad,” “Kiss U Right Now,” and our surprise song we have, it’s called “Wild Out.” I get to be the most animated.
Joyce Wrice: I love “On One.” I feel like that’s a fan favorite. The choreography [for that song] is on point, as well as for “Must Be Nice.” “So So Sick,” I used to be a little intimidated to perform that live because it’s such a high song. But through a lot of practice, I’m getting better and it’s sounding so good. I love “Chandler” because I just feel like when the beat drops, people go crazy over that, so it’s always exciting to do that one.
Who are/were you looking forward to seeing perform live?
Duckwrth: I just watched Phabo. I was excited to see him. Yves Tumor, Mereba, maybe Doja Cat.
Joyce Wrice: Jazmin Sullivan was amazing. Kendrick Lamar. He’s like our Sade now, so when you can catch him, you better go see him. That was so inspiring. I really enjoyed Lucky Daye, I think that’s all I got to see so far. Today (Nov. 13) I’m excited to see Mereba and Freddie Gibbs. Hopefully, I can [also] catch Fana Hues and Saba. I don’t know if I’ll come back tomorrow, but I’d love to see Snoh [Aaelegra] and Tyler.
Teamarr: I got to see a little bit of D Smoke. I got to see KIRBY. That was great. Kendrick was the best, man…he’s so godly.
Teamarrr Performing At Day N Vegas Nov. 12, 2021
Day N Vegas/Micheael Drummond
How was the crowd’s energy? Do you think it has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic?
Beanz: I feel like the energy from the crowd was lit. They were really fkin with me. I can’t say nothing bad about the crowd. They were going up…that’s really all you can ask for.
Teamarrr: It was magnificent… it was so alive, the energy. It’s not the same as when we were doing the indoor sh*t, in my living room sh*t. That is soul-crushing because artists are so… our egos need that energy. I was so happy to feel it and I keep forgetting to say my name. I understand I have my logo… but I really got to try and get that in there. It’s Teamarrr with three R’s because I’m really, really raw.
Joyce Wrice: I feel like with a pandemic… I think people just want to have fun. They just want to release all this stress and tension [from] the hecticness that we all experienced. It was very shocking and unexpected. I feel like people just [want to] be more open and positive about just having a good time. So I think that’s beneficial for us artists. It’s not as intimidating to go out there and do your thing. I would say maybe that’s the shift.
Toosii: It was special. It was a good feeling. Especially to be back doing this. I like it. I’ll say with things that’s going on now, with festivals and concerts, I can definitely tell that the crowd was a little bit more chill. You may not see as many mosh pits and things of that nature like that. I think it’s gonna be chill for a while.
Toosii Performing At Day N Vegas Nov. 13, 2021
Day N Vegas / Julian
