Students: Akon was main attraction at Friday's Spring Fling Concert

Guster and Akon may have shared the stage Friday night but many students expressed more excitement about Akon.

The Social Planning and Events Committee brought together musicians Akon and Guster in what many students considered an unusual mix for Friday's Spring Fling Concert.

The two artists played to an audience of about 7,500, according to SPEC Concerts Co-director and College junior Preston Hershorn. By comparison, last year OK Go, Gym Class Heroes and Ludacris played to a sold-out crowd of about 8,000.

However, even those students not that familiar with Guster said they found their show to be enjoyable and a nice warm-up to the Akon performance.

"I didn't really know much about Guster before I went, but I really liked it - it was a nice mix," said College junior Natalie Drucker. "[Guster] was more mellow, then I could get excited for Akon."

College senior Odella Jno-Charles said she went to the concert to see Akon but was also familiar with some of Guster's more-popular songs.

"It really was a win-win situation for me," she said.

Guster played a mix of the group's signature classics and more recent records.

The group's visit to campus was part of the band's fourth annual Campus Consciousness Tour, which aims to promote positive impact on the community and the environment.

On Saturday the environmentalist nonprofit Reverb - founded by Guster guitarist and vocalist Adam Gardner and his wife -- hosted an "Eco-Village" in the Quadrangle as part of the tour.

While a number of students said they attended the concert to see both artists, the noticeable crowd increase between acts was a more telling indicator of the student population's interest.

After Guster's performance, stadium attendance visibly swelled to nearly double its size, with students packed to the top seats in the bleachers, and event staff struggled to accommodate the increase.

At one point before Akon took the stage, a security employee yelled to other guards, "If you have to, push them into the bleachers."

However, most students were settled by the time DJ Benny-D, Akon's host and back-up for the night, took the stage in his orange kilt and flashing shades.

Akon's performance included shorter bursts of song - mostly a minute or two long - mixed with banter with Benny-D.

Later, Akon corrected Benny-D when he mistakenly addressed the audience as "Penn State."

The two challenged the audience compete with Penn State - which Akon will be visiting later this month - to see which crowd has the most energy.

And the audience responded to every request Akon made.

When show ended, the audience remained in the stands, singing and dancing to Lady GaGa's Just Dance.

"I'm speechless," raved College freshman Virginia Senf, who experienced the show from the front row.

"Guster was great, and I even got to touch Akon three times."

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