Kanye West Doesn't F Up the FYF Fest, Brings Rihanna Onstage

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(photo: ET Online)

Day one of Los Angeles’s FYF Festival was filled with highlights, but the most surprising one was the unbilled appearance by Rihanna, during Kanye West’s triumphant set on the main stage. And it seemed that no one was more surprised than Rihanna herself.

(videos below contain strong language)

Rihanna was enjoying Kanye’s performance of “FourFiveSeconds” (his single recorded with Paul McCartney, who sadly was not at FYF, and Rihanna earlier this year) from the front row – when Kanye reached into the crowd and handed her the microphone to sing her part. It appeared to be a totally spontaneous moment, but a smiling Rihanna obliged, and she later joined Kanye onstage for a rendition of their collaboration “All of the Lights,” this time seeming a little more prepared.

The fact that Kanye played FYF at all was a major surprise, in more ways than one. First of all, it was only announced late Thursday afternoon that he’d be stepping in for Saturday’s previously scheduled FYF Fest headliner, Frank Ocean – who had abruptly mysteriously dropped out “on his own terms.” And let’s face it, if any FYF headliner had been expected to cancel his appearance at the last minute, it would have been the notoriously flaky Morrissey, not Ocean. (As of this writing, Moz is still slated to close out Sunday’s FYF, but hey, the day is still young.) But just the fact that an artist like Kanye was playing FYF was a head-scratcher – and possibly a game-changer (or even a shark-jumper) for the festival, now in its 12th year.

A little background here: FYF was founded in 2004 by concert promoter Sean Carlson, who back then was just an 18-year-old with an indie-rock dream. The festival took place in various tiny Echo Park venues, and it was called the “F— Yeah Fest,” no acronyms required. As FYF grew, it started recruiting larger headliners, but those acts were still punk-rock names like the Circle Jerks or the Black Lips; once Carlson joined forces with promoter Goldenvoice, even bigger marquee names came in (like last year’s Phoenix, HAIM, and the Strokes, or 2013’s My Bloody Valentine, TV on the Radio, MGMT, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs), but it was still a fiercely indie-rock affair. To have an A-list, pop-crossover star (and Kardashian in-law) like Kanye on the lineup could have been interpreted as downright blasphemous by some longtime, punk-rock-purist FYF fans, who likely now see other SoCal events like Burgerama, Beach Goth, or Berserktown as their new destinations for underground festival fun.

But honestly, Kanye’s music – particularly the tracks from his most recent album Yeezus, featuring abrasive, metallic production by Rick Rubin and Bjork/FKA Twigs experimentalist Arca – didn’t feel out of place at FYF. And this concert showcased Kanye as his best; in short, he didn’t F up the FYF Fest. He didn’t show up obscenely late, like he did for Bonnaroo 2008; or ruin “Bohemian Rhapsody,” like he did at this year’s Glastonbury; or nearly get booed off the stage, as he did at this year’s Billboard Music Awards.

Instead, Kanye just played an impressively hits-packed set (starting with Watch the Throne’s “No Church in the Wild” – an obvious tribute to the absent Ocean, who sang on the single’s recording), and he was all smiles as he brought another collaborator, his GOOD Music label signing Travis Scott, for a performance of “Antidote.” And he even politely adhered to the festival’s curfew, by cramming as many songs as possible into the final minutes of his set.

“I’ve got like 10 minutes, and I’ve got like 10 years of hits for y’all,” Kanye joked, tearing through a nonstop ecstatic medley of “Jesus Walks,” “Touch the Sky,” “Gold Digger,” and “Good Life” before slowing things down with his tender ballad “Only One,” dedicated to his daughter North and his late mother Donda, which he performed while lying on his back.

Kanye really brought it at FYF 2015, but in many ways Saturday belonged to London four-piece Savages, who positively savaged and ravaged the Trees stage. The raw and raucous group blew out eardrums and blew minds with their thunderous, ferocious sound, which inspired one of the most enthusiastic moshpits of the day. Androgynous lead singer Jehnny Beth’s ability to simultaneously channel Siouxsie Sioux, PJ Harvey, and Patti Smith, and the band’s ability to reference yet transcend everything awesome about ‘70s/'80s/'90s post-punk, made them THE breakout act of the day – and maybe of the whole weekend, (Sorry, Kanye.)

Other Saturday FYF highlights included post-punk pioneers the Jesus & Mary Chain performing their 30-year-old landmark album Psychocandy in its entirety; Dinosaur Jr. bringing '90s nostalgia (and a bit of '80s nostalgia, with their famous cover of the Cure’s “Just Like Heaven”) to the main stage; local favorite Joyce Manor, playing FYF for the fourth year in a row, covering Weezer’s “You Gave Your Love to Me Softly”; Run the Jewels jamming with Zach de la Rocha, Travis Barker, and Gangsta Boo; ragged Oklahoma rockers Broncho sounding like a punk-rock Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers during their early afternoon set; and Brooklyn dreamboats the Drums crooning surf-pop ballads of doomed romance that surely appealed to any starry-eyed Morrissey fans in the crowd.

FYF continues/concludes Sunday with D'Angelo, Solange, Belle & Sebastian, FKA Twigs, and Morrissey. Maybe if Moz cancels after all, Kanye can step in and save the day again.

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