Sir Mix-a-Lot takes over Spring Fest

MOSES LAKE — Anthony Ray stepped out of his trailer Sunday night at the Centennial Amphitheater and could hear the eager chatter of thousands of people gathered on the lawn. As the anticipation grew, Anthony’s confidence only rose. When he rose the microphone to his mouth and meandered his way to the Amphitheater stage it became clear that Anthony Ray was gone. It was Sir Mix-a-Lot’s time to own the stage.

“This is a huge deal for me because I remember when Sir Mix-a-Lot really broke through I was in high school and it was like you couldn’t go down the street without hearing one of his beats,” said Micah Hohn.

“Sir Mix-a-Lot in Moses Lake? What? I couldn’t believe it when I heard about it. It really is awesome that this big of an artist came to Moses Lake. He puts on such a fun show that it’s surreal to think that he is one of the biggest stars of the 1990s and he’s right here in my city,” chimed in Danielle Newsome.

Sunday night’s musical grand finale capped off an impressive lineup of artists and musicians at the Moses Lake Spring Festival. Event organizers estimated the crowd Sunday night was one of the biggest ever.

“We just wanted to offer something different. We saw him at another event and we thought wow this might be something that we want to try. And we would like to try to attract other people from outside our community to come and spend a weekend with us,” Spring Festival board member Lori Valdez said.

A Moses Lake concert isn’t too random of a spot for Sir Mix-a-Lot to come and perform at, as he was born and raised on the other side of the mountains in Seattle. His biggest claim to fame was the release of the hit single “Baby Got Back,” which hit the top spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks in 1992 and earned him the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance in 1993.

Perhaps the most resonating takeaway from Sir Mix-a-Lot’s Spring Festival concert was the fact that it wasn’t solely for the rap/hip hop music fan.

“Man I don’t even really like this kind of music to be honest. I’m a hardcore rock fan. But if a guy like me can come see Sir Mix-a-Lot and have an absolute blast, then anybody can,” Dwayne Thurman said with a smile. “I found myself just appreciating the artistry of it all, because Sir Mix-a-Lot was big when I was like 8 or 9, so it’s really cool to see that he is still relevant and can entertain at a high level.”

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.