Friday night’s rain showers didn’t stop Penn students from turning out to see Schwayze, Kid Cudi and Snoop Dogg at the sold-out Spring Fling concert.
With more than 8,000 people packed into the stands, the concert was more popular than it has been in years, according to SPEC Concerts Co-Director Rachel Darivoff, a College senior.
By about 1 p.m. on Friday, all tickets were sold, making this year’s concert the earliest sell out and the largest concert attendance she remembers, Darivoff said.
In spite of this high turnout, however, students remain divided about the artists.
“Snoop was a much better performer than I thought he’d be,” College sophomore Emily Miller said. “He really got the crowd into it.”
College freshman Matt Sherman said he found the crowd's reaction to Snoop’s frequent marijuana references surprising.
“Snoop would ask who smokes weed, and everyone would nod,” Sherman said, adding that he didn't expect that response from an Ivy League audience.
Nursing senior Kiane Simeon had a different point of view. “I found it really ironic that umbrellas were prohibited, but illegal substances were passed around,” she said. “There was so much weed, I think I got high by association.”
College sophomore Rachel Ashton also questioned Snoop’s message. “I don’t need to hear about sensual seduction from a 40-year-old man in pigtails,” she said.
Students were also ambivalent about the large crowd at the concert.
Though according to College senior and SPEC President Dasha Barranik, “entering and exiting the concert went very smoothly,” some students complained about the long lines and crowding.
“I barely saw Schwayze because of the line,” Sherman said. “It was ridiculous.”
College sophomore Myles Karp agreed, saying he did not attend the concert because he could not get a ticket.
Despite these varying reactions, however, most students called the concert a memorable experience overall.
“Each artist had a different niche, and the crowd responded to each of them differently” College freshman Allie Volinsky said.
“It’s hard to please all 10,000 students at Penn,” agreed SPEC Concerts Co-Director Jordan Sale, a College sophomore. Still, she thought this was the concert’s best year so far, because of the general level of enthusiasm about the artists.
“Looking up into the stands,” she said, “it looked like people were going absolutely crazy.”
This article has been corrected from its print version to accurately reflect a quoted student's opinion of the concert.
