Photos by Dan Dealy

Hip-hop lovers had a pretty grim end to their CMJ fest: It seemed that five straight days of running around took its toll late Saturday evening, resulting in fights, theft, arrest and um, people deliberately clogging up the toilets in one venue. There were some great moments to be had, however:  In the slide show above: photos from the Fader fort party at Ace Hotel, Red Bull Space’s showcase with Shameless Management and Scott on the Rocks, and more pics from an impromptu showcase at BLVD; plus, Theophilus London, Sam Sparro, Donnis, Pill, Jared Evans and more. The story of the night’s adventure after the jump.

To kick off the night, Fader had taken over the Ace Hotel, and put together a lineup that featured newcomers MNDR (performing early at 2:45) and a late, show-stealing performance from Theophilus London’s trio with Sam Sparro and Mark Ronson, called Chauffeur, which recently leaked its first preview track, “Soles of Fire.” The new collective put on a good show, but it was time to head downtown to the Red Bull Space, where things started to get a little…interesting. You might expect downtown partygoers to be able to hold their liquor okay, but things turned ugly quickly. The Shamless MGMT blog sums it up best:

…I’m so appalled that this craziness that was Saturday night escalated into fights, theft and someone getting arrested. Indeed the bouncers at the Red Bull Space were morons but I’m more upset at the type of people in the party that would 1) steal tips from the coat check and bars and 2) intentionally clog the toilets in the bathroom. Not to mention the fighting, which was stupid.

Ignorance ruined what could of been an amazing night for all of these bands but people were selfish and had to ruin it, why? Who knows. But you stole something that cannot be replaced.

As it turned out, a number of press outlets, partygoers and even some performers never made it into the venue. By midnight, the party was shut down, and headliners like Ninjasonik never had the chance to perform. As a last resort, many of the partygoers made the trek down to BLVD on Bowery. A number of rising stars took the stage, but again, things turned ugly when a fan decided to join ATL rapper Donnis on stage, and later take a swing at his manager, Dan Solomito, who was working double shift running between this show and the Kidz in the Hall/Duck Down showcase at Gramercy Theatre. Miss Info recaps the events swing-and-miss here.

Despite having visited three different venues, all with their own talents and performances, it felt like a night that didn’t even happen. It was an unfortunate way to cap off a week of fantastic events and artists performing all over New York. Instead of leaving the night with a feeling of excitement from finding and experiencing new music, most seemed to walk out the door in the early hours of Sunday morning stuck in a haze of drinks and missed opportunity.