Philadelphia-native hip hop group The Roots, along with the Pat McGee Band, performed at a concert on Hill Field last night to honor the inauguration of University President Amy Gutmann this Friday.
The Roots "didn't stop playing once. It was awesome," Nursing junior Casey Templin said. "I was into it the entire time. ... When I saw the ticket, I was like 'Pat McGee Band and The Roots? They don't go together,' but it was really, really cool."
While only a few hundred students came early enough to hear the Pat McGee Band, by the time The Roots came on stage, the crowd had grown to approximately 1,000.
The Roots played a medley of popular R&B; music, with snippets of songs such as Beyonce and Jay-Z's Crazy in Love, in addition to a number of the band's original songs.
"There was so much pizzazz, so much energy, excitement, and they played some good songs, too," College freshman Alex Flamm said. "They did a great job with the sound and the lighting."
Band members threw drumsticks and T-shirts into the crowd when they were finished playing.
"It was like a freaking jam band. ... They got the crowd into it and it was so much fun," College freshman Jon Lynch said.
University President Amy Gutmann -- a self-proclaimed Roots fan -- introduced the band before the show.
"I'm Amy Gutmann and I'm not a roadie working this gig, but I am the president, and I have the best job in the world," she said.
Gutmann "seemed like she was totally into it and wanted everyone at Penn to be totally into it," Templin added.
The Roots' most recent album is entitled The Tipping Point, which is named after Malcolm Gladwell's novel that freshmen were required to read for the 2004 Penn Reading Project.
The Virginia-based acoustic rock sextet Pat McGee Band spent an hour warming up the crowd before The Roots took the stage.
"You guys are hardcore here in Philadelphia," lead singer and guitarist Pat McGee said.
The Roots and Pat McGee Band were "probably a good choice just because they appeal to a lot of different types of people's music taste," College freshman Sasha Silcox said.
While some attended the concert because they liked one of the featured bands, others went simply for the experience. "I just love going to concerts, and it's a free on-campus concert, so why not?" College freshman Emily Ozan said.
Some students said they thought more people would have attended had it not been for exams.
"There are a lot of midterms, so it's bad timing," Nursing freshman Shweta Singh said. "But a few of my friends are here."
Many students said they would like to attend other inauguration events, but, like College freshman Kevin Kimura, have classes that overlap.
"I really think they should have done it on a day when people don't have classes, or at least canceled classes ... because I can't make anything," Kimura said.
