[dropcap]H[/dropcap]aving a brother like Chance The Rapper can be both good and bad. On the bright side, he’s a mega star, but on the negative, you find yourself in his shadow as people always mention him when addressing you. As Chance’s younger brother, Taylor has carved a path for himself with his own special sound. Last night at Firefly Music Festival, he held his own, playing to an audience of over 3,000 people. The performance didn’t go without hiccups (it was previously scheduled for noon but was changed to a later time), but it was still spectacular. Taylor’s latest project, Restoration Of An American Idol, has received rave reviews over the past few months. I watched as the audience sung along to his new songs as he confidently performed them with impeccable energy and stage presence. It’s like he was feeding off the energy of the crowd.
@_TaylorBennett congrats on ya biggest show ever ???? #fireflymusicfestival pic.twitter.com/kFDaR4v1tV
— Franky_3000 (@dannykotzar) June 18, 2017
Prior to the show, I caught up with him in the artist lounge. Firefly is pegged as the “East Coast Coachella,” so for many artists performing at the event is a huge deal. From my own experience, I easily get jitters from just talking in class, so I cannot even fathom the rush of emotion one must get when performing in front of thousands of people. When I talked to him before his performance, I was surprised that he was very calm, just chilling with his friends playing pool and Street Fighter. The confidence that he exhibited seemed like one that a veteran performer would have. The humbleness of his brother transfers to Taylor as well; he didn’t shy away from speaking to me and my friends about culture and Chicago, and I praised him for coming out as bisexual recently in such a heteronormative society.
Taylor’s performance at Firefly can prove to be a breakthrough for his career. In 2014, his brother Chance performed at Firefly at a smaller stage, and this year Chance headlined the event, with an audience that spanned for miles singing along to his old and new songs. Taylor hopes to have a fanbase that’s as loyal and supportive as Chance’s but wants to do it while creating his own sound and path.
