By Liz Ciocher
Arts & Entertainment Editor
The College’s College Union Board came together to put on their second fall concert since the Covid-19 pandemic with Swae Lee, rapper and member of Rae Sremmurd, performing on Nov. 9.
In addition to last year’s Yung Gravy concert, Swae Lee’s performance and CUB’s hard work in production have proved that even after our years of concert hiatus, students at the College have maintained great enthusiasm.
“New Jersey knows what’s going on!” Swae Lee said, addressing the crowd just moments after he arrived on stage.
With a setlist including hit songs like “Come Get Her,” “Swang” and “Black Beatles,” students had a great time with the performance held in the Recreation Center.
“I’m a big Rae Sremmurd fan, so I had a great time,” said sophomore special education and math major Christopher Canellas. “The concert’s song selections were really nice; it was a nice set all together.”
According to CUB, the concert sold upward of 1,800 tickets, filling the rec center with students shoulder-to-shoulder surrounding the main stage. Tickets were admitted for general admission only, allowing students to secure their spots on a first come, first served basis.
Doors opened at 7:30 p.m., flooding in students who had been lined up along the Rec center’s sidewalk in wait for the concert. Some members of the audience had been waiting in line for as long as 4 hours.
“We got in line at 3:30,” said elementary special education psychology sophomore Kaitlyn McGowan, who was first in line with her friends. “We did it for the vibes, it’s always the best concert experience at the front.”
Holly March, an early childhood special education math sophomore, was one of the friends waiting with McGowan.
“We crocheted, brought a speaker to listen to Swae Lee and brought some snacks for the wait,” she said.
Once the doors opened, student DJs Wilmer Amaya and Matt Richardson each played a 30-minute set to warm up the crowd for Swae Lee’s entrance.
At 9:05 p.m., Swae Lee took the stage, opening with “No Type.” The crowd was immediately responsive, their excitement and energy matching the rapper’s high-strung enthusiasm. Throughout his entire setlist, students could be heard singing with Swae Lee, verse-for-verse.
“Everyone that showed up truly did SHOW up, with an indescribable energy,” said CUB Executive Director Stefan Stojanoski, a junior English secondary and special education major, in an interview with the Signal. “Swae Lee was an incredible performer and held the audience’s attention the whole time, an overall 10/10 show.”
(Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Gladstone / Multimedia Coordinator).
While Swae Lee did run the show with his discography, crowd engagement and occasional basketball free-throws in the rec center’s hoops, the success of the event couldn’t have been possible without the dedication and hard work of CUB’s student members.
“Our whole team got to the Rec center at the early time of 7:30 a.m. and stayed through until 1:30 a.m. for cleanup,” Stojanoski said. “The whole time I only saw dedication, drive, excitement and joy from all the cubbies working.”
In addition to physically preparing the Rec center and stage for a concert, CUB is responsible for lots of behind-the-scenes elements in making the concert happen. Even with such a long day, Stojanoski credits CUB’s live board for a smooth execution, the associate board for above-and-beyond help, and the executive board for communal support and aid.
“From our executive board to our amazing associate board, our little community comes together to make the day a true success!” said Stojanoski. “I could not be more proud to be a part of such an incredible organization comprised of so many dedicated people!”
In Swae Lee’s goodbye, he promised the crowd with a new album on the way and took selfies with crowd members’ phones as they were handed (or thrown) to him.
“It was pretty hype for the most part,” said Canellas. “I’d say hype was the best word to describe it.”
