Galleries

Football: Arizona upsets #15 Washington State 58-37

Arizona upsets #15 ranked Washington state with a final score of 58-37, bringing a close to Homecoming week.

Homecoming Week 2017

Events throughout the University of Arizona's 2017 Homecoming week.

Hockey: Arizona Wildcats fall to Central Oklahoma Bronchos 0-3

The Arizona Wildcats fell to the Central Oklahoma Bronchos 0-3 on Thursday night, October 26.

A Mountain lighting kicks off Homecoming week

Members of the Bobcat Senior Honorary lit road flares on A Mountain, kicking off the beginning of Homecoming week at the University of Arizona. A viewing party took place on top on Main Gate garage in celebration of the event.

Men's basketball Red-Blue game

The McDonald's Red-Blue game featured a dunk contest, an introduction of this year's men's basketball team and a scrimmage between teammates.

Family Weekend 2017

A gallery of various events from the University of Arizona's 2017 Family Weekend, including family ziplining, the Bear Down BBQ and the UA- UCLA football game.

Football: Arizona beats UCLA 47-30

Arizona beat UCLA with a final score of 47-30 on Oct. 14.

Volleyball: Utah overpowers Arizona 3-1

The Arizona Wildcats fall to the Utah Utes 3-1 on Friday, October 13.

Remembering a sister: UA community honors the life of Christiana Duarte

The Arizona Zeta Omicron chapter of Sigma Kappa sorority held a memorial service at Greek Heritage Park, Oct. 10, to celebrate the life of its sister, Christiana Duarte, who was killed in the Las Vegas shooting. It’s estimated more than 500 people attended the service.

DUSK day two: Poliçia, Milky Chance, Louis the Child and Steve Aoki

Day two of the 2017 DUSK music festival at Rillito Racetrack.

DUSK day one: DJ Jazzy Jeff, Vince Staples and Big Sean

The 2017 DUSK music festival at Rillito Race Track in Tucson, Ariz. on Oct. 6.

Arizona falls to UCLA, 3-0

Tucson Humanities Festival opens with Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova

Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova opens up the Tucson Humanities Festival at The Rialto Theatre on Oct. 3. The festival goes from Oct. 3 to Nov. 7.

Tucson state of mind: Nas and Wale at The Rialto

The lights of the Rialto Theatre sparkle above as a security guard gropes my pockets and the inside of my thighs. The marquis lettering silhouettes itself in the evening sky, shining down on the line that wraps around the block and back in on itself like an anxious, excited game of snake.

Nick Grant, the opener, is nothing to complain about, but that’s not why everyone is here. It’s not why half of the audience reeks of weed and are wearing “Illmatic" t-shirts. Most aren’t here for Wale either, who puts on a headbanging pop-hip-hop set with songs like “My PYT."

This crowd, their ages ranging from 20-year-olds to middle-aged adults and their partners pumping their fists in the air with vigor, are here to see the one and only self-proclaimed maestro Nasir Jones. Nas, for short. The same Nas that, in 1994, released what many consider one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. Ever.

After an excruciatingly long wait following Wale’s departure, the crowd is growing restless. Shouting is getting louder and more common, the fat vape clouds drifting over baseball caps and sweaty foreheads are growing thin.

Then, without any warning, the stage goes dark. The crowd goes wild. A DJ’s turntables light up with the “Nas” logo in deep purple. The cheering grows in volume, anticipation finally coming to a frenzied climax.

With eardrum-shattering, cardiac arrest-inducing bass, Nas takes the stage surrounded by yellow strobe lights and purple floodlights. Joe Chambers’ “Mind Rain” sampled under heavy drums floats across the restless crowd. Nas looks around, observing the chaotic excitement held back by nothing but a thin metal barrier and a few bouncers.

The set is exquisitely old school, hitting all the classics. Sans Ms. Lauryn Hill, of course. Nas kicks it back to his beginnings but brings it back around with a soul-stirring rendition of “Project Windows” from his 1999 album Nastradamus.

During a hook, Nas collects himself, looks onto the crowd and says, “We all relate to each other.” He’s met with cheers, and he follows up with words on a new project, emphasizing that after a certain number of albums an artist has to make sure their vision is being met.

The set draws to a close with a tribute to the late Prodigy of Mobb Deep. The crowd is satisfied, voices hoarse and ears ringing with pure ecstasy. Nas makes one final bow, a maestro leaving his orchestra.

As I sat on the balcony steps, watching the massive stream of people, my mind was drawn back to the beginning of the set and the first moments Nas stepped on stage:

His mouth opened with the first line of the song, one of the first real lines of the album, the first line that every single soul in the Rialto Theatre knows so well. “Straight out the fuckin’ dungeons of rap, where fake niggas don’t make it back …”