I made plans to attend the FAMU NPHC step show on Friday and head to a party later that night after the show. Since the step show started at 7 p.m., I was under the impression that it would run no later than 9 p.m., the latest 10 p.m.
I was wrong, because the show did not start until 8 p.m. That was strike one.
The host for the night shared the Twitter hashtag so everyone could live tweet during the show and the first tweet out the gate read “@MyahKemp I got power outage to go y’all cmon!” and I could not have related so much to a tweet.
It was 8:13 p.m. and the show had yet to begin. The clock was ticking and not one D9 performing organization had hit the stage.
At this point I was getting my entertainment by scrolling on Twitter and seeing what everyone was tweeting about. After what felt like forever the show finally started and the first act to come on stage to open the show was the housing step show winners, Ensync.
At least someone was stepping, which meant the show was starting for real this time.
After the opening act, the first fraternity organization to perform came out and once they hit the stage, I was blinded by flashing lights. I had to shield and squint my eyes to see but their performance — which got the crowd going and cheering.
The next thing we heard was: “a part of the stage is broken, and we have to get it checked out.” In the arena all you heard was a collective groan and that right there just pushed back our timing to leave. Once the stage was inspected and the show went on, things continued going downhill. We had to sit through longer than needed intermissions everyone was ready to go at that point, especially students who planned to go to “power outage,” a rap concert.
Don’t get me wrong, we love to support our students, but this was a step show that was supposed to start at 7 and got pushed back an hour and then it evolved into a lesson on bitcoins. Nobody, and I mean respectfully nobody, asked or cared to hear that. Like the rest of the crowd, I just wanted to see a well-organized step show but all I got was a migraine and my eyes watering from those dang lights.
The only entertainment that kept me going was just reading tweets about the step show. Everyone was commenting on why the hashtag to be so long. When they brought out non-NPHC organizations to perform, that is when I confirmed with my friends that I was going to leave because the show seemed would be running over time.
I was upset I didn’t get to stay to see everyone perform or see the winners, but and I had to leave to make it to this party and I was not planning to miss it. As I was making my way to leave, I sat in slow moving traffic to leave campus. Once I was an able to make my way out, I zoomed toward the party destination and was in relief when I was able to make it there.
As I arrived at the party it was in full effect and packed, but everyone was having a fun time. I was thinking to myself, nothing can ruin the vibes for the night. Then all I heard was screaming and people running. That was strike three and I was ready to be out.
Fights broke out and partygoers assumed the worst. As people were running around and pushing people out of the way I found myself running because it never hurts to be safe than sorry. I ran outside and ended up losing my friends in the commotion. Once I found them, we were ready to call the night quits and head home. If I could redo the night over I would, but Friday was just filled with disappointment, and it was not one to remember.