By Rachel Gow

Students arrived to the annual Spring Weekend concert last Saturday with hopeful hearts and broken necks.

Following the whiplash of two canceled artists, Soulja Boy for a breach of contract involving a weapons violation and Sean Kingston for a sexual assault settlement in 2013, students were not sure what to expect. “I was definitely excited for my first Spring Weekend concert as a freshman, but a little disappointed we didn’t have a headliner,” said Lauren Cassot FCRH `22.

This was a sentiment shared by many students, both those that wished to keep him on the lineup. Despite the divergent opinions regarding the rapper, there also seemed to be a general consensus that Campus Activities Board (CAB) and the university should have handled the situation better.

United States Government (USG) expressed support for the removal of Kingston, while CAB wanted to allow him to perform. Dean of Students, Christopher Rodgers, had the final say, canceling the rapper only three days before the show.

“I just wish that we had never booked Kingston in the first place,” said Christopher Kerrane, FCRH `22. “Or that he had been removed earlier so we could have added another artist to the concert.”

Despite these disappointments, many students still braved the sub 60-degree weather to watch the remaining two performers, Bryce Vine and Whethan, in addition to the student group and winner of Battle of the Bands, The Usual.

The Usual, a New York alternative band, opened for Vine and Whethan. While crowds remained relatively thin at this point in the afternoon, the band seemed to be having a lot of fun and got people’s blood flowing.

Vine performed next. The 30-year-old) is well-known for his singles “Drew Barrymore” and “La La Land.” Sporting a tee-shirt with an image of Tupac smoking marijuana on it, he commanded the audience with a great stage presence.

Students eagerly jumped on each other’s shoulders and crowd surfed (or made unsuccessful attempts to do so) at the artist’s request. He also garnered laughs for pointing out students drinking Fireball during the performance.

“That doesn’t seem very godly to me,” Vine said.

Later he commented that the audience “seemed pretty lit for a bunch of sober kids.”

For some, Vine’s humor sparked future interests in the artist.

“I didn’t know a ton of Bryce Vine’s songs going in, but he was honestly so funny,” said Sydney Veazie, FCRH `22. “I want to listen to his music more now.”

Others were big fans prior to Spring Weekend and found him really enjoyable live.
“I listened to Bryce Vine’s music a bunch before he was announced as the performer,” said Camille de Carbonnel, FCRH `22.” “I thought he was great at the concert.”

While Vine seemed to foster a connection with concert attendees, Whethan, the following performer had a more subdued presence. He stayed by the DJ booth for the entirety of his show and did not talk much with the crowd.

Instead, the 19 year-old opted for a more seamless and continuous performance, transitioning from one EDM song to the next without interruption. He played a few of his better-known tracks such as “Superlove” and “Savage,” but the majority of the set list consisted of remixes of popular songs.

Here, the audience seemed to take a dichotomous approach. Some attendees bobbed their heads half-heartedly and tried to stay grounded among their rowdy peers.

The students that had the most fun, however, were those that embraced the mosh pits. Instead of complaining about getting pushed, they pushed back.

“I think you just had to dance in order to have a good time,” said Ashley Blasi, FCRH `22. “I love moshing, so I just hopped right in.”

Perhaps the best concert summary comes from Derik Boghosian, FCRH `22.
“I mean it was no Sean Kingston or T Pain, but it was fun.”