Beast of Bozeman roams the Emerson

Have you seen the Beast? Perhaps they are next to you in line at the grocery store or the gas pump across from your car. Undoubtedly, the Beast was spotted at the Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture on Saturday, Feb. 18.

The Beast of Bozeman is an inaugural event showcasing the community's wide variety of talent where all competitors compete to be titled the Beast of Bozeman by showcasing their unique talent. The Emerson has been working to bring this event to the stage since before the pandemic. This winter, they welcomed local talents from all different walks of life.

Last weekend, I attended the first semi-finals at the Emerson on Feb. 18. I told some friends about the Beast of Bozeman, and they decided to tag along. As we walked through the dimly lit aisle to our seats, “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder filled the walls of the Crawford Theater. Grand, red curtains disguised the stage, with the words, “Have you seen the beast?” projected onto it.

As the throwback songs tapered out, we were greeted by our emcee for the night. He began speaking to the audience, telling us about himself, how long he has lived in Bozeman and his marching band days at MSU. My group of friends and I could not hold in our laughs during his marching band spiel, and he even pointed us out and declared we must have been members of the marching band ourselves.

Then, the emcee introduced the first act, Yamama, a group of ladies who are deeply inspired by complex and rich experiences of World rhythms and melodies, according to their website. They sang, danced and played the drums. After one act was over, the emcee came back on stage to introduce the next act. This continued for a total of 11 acts and just about an hour and a half of performances.

Each performer was on stage for two to four minutes, keeping me entertained and on the edge of my seat during the production. Also, they queued people on stage so that after a musician, there was a dancer or a comedian and then back to a musician.

After each performance, the audience erupted into a cheer. Over the course of the night, the energy levels rose and rose. By 9:00 p.m. the energy in the Crawford Theater was absolutely electric. Around this time, the emcee addressed the audience again. He told us that the audience members were just as important as the people on the stage.

Everyone was welcome to perform on the stage at the Emerson. Acts ranged from tween dancers to millennial folk singers, baby-boomer drummers, and even a twenty-something clown.

Picture your middle-school talent show but with much better acts, a larger and more architecturally interesting theater, professional production value, and a stand-up comic as the emcee. The first semi-finals for the Beast of Bozeman resembled an old-fashioned talent show with higher stakes.

The Emerson opened their doors for auditions for this event last month, on Jan. 30 and 31. The panel of judges scored and selected their top 15 acts to advance to the first semi-finals, held on Feb. 18.

Seven acts advanced through the first semi-finals, set to compete again during the second semi-finals on Saturday, Feb. 25. After the second semi-finals the judges will again score and select the following handful of acts to advance to the finals.

The third and final competition will be held on Saturday March 4, at 7:30 p.m. The audience will be involved in the selection of the Beast at the end of the final competition. The judges will be asked to step aside to make the community’s voice heard. Audience members are encouraged to cheer on their favorite acts, but most importantly, the audience will vote on who should be crowned the Beast of Bozeman.

The first-place prize is $1000 cash, the second-place prize is $500 and the third-place prize is $250. Also, the top three talents will be invited back to Emerson to perform in another event.

Like the emcee told my friends and me, the audience members are just as important as those who are performing. So, if you and your friends want something to do this weekend, look no further. Head to the Emerson on Saturday night and support some great local talent.

Tickets for the second semi-final are currently on sale for $20 each. Tickets for the final competition are also available for $30 each. For more information and ticket sales, visit www.theemerson.org/the-beast-of-bozeman/.