Excitement filled the air as students gathered in long queues at the entrance of the Shafer Auditorium for the headline performance of New York City rapper, musician and performer, “A Boogie Wit da Hoodie.” on Saturday, April 23.
“I’ve been listening to A Boogie for years,” said Naboni Thomas Kidane, ’24, prior to the concert. “I have really high expectations of this performance.”
The concert served as the finale to this year’s Springfest, titled “Gator Gras.”
Dakchyata Thapa, ’22, reflected on her Springfest experiences during her time at Allegheny.
“We’ve never had a performance of this promising level,” Thapa said. “I’m really pleased that the (Allegheny Student Government) and (Gator Activities Programming) pulled through.”
Although students were pleased on the day of the event, there was some confusion leading up to it.
“I paid for my ticket online but never received my wristband,” Nahayan Minhas, ’24, said. “It was also very inconvenient that they asked us to pull out our ticket as we approached the front of the crowded line.”
Many students became confused about the process of bringing a guest due to unclear communication by ASG.
“ASG first told us that we could bring two guests if we had paid for a ticket,” said Kidane. “However, they later told us that we could bring two guests if we also paid for their ticket.”
Testing facilities were made available later than usual at the David V. Wise Center for guests to partake in a rapid COVID test before attending the concert. Testing was open till 9 p.m.
Many students had purchased tickets before the day of the concert, although tickets were available at the door.
The doors opened at 7:30 p.m. and the opening act — Pittsburgh rap artist VO2K and his DJ — took the stage at roughly 8 p.m.
“Although I didn’t really know their music, I really enjoyed their vibe,” Aveet Desai, ’23, said. “I think it’s really cool that they went for a local artist to get the crowd warmed up.”
VO2K entertained the crowd for about 40 minutes before ASG President Noah Tart, ’22, announced that A Boogie would be performing a bit later than expected as he had not yet arrived on campus.
Members of ASG periodically took to the stage to distribute bottles of water to the crowd.
Meanwhile, two Allegheny students got on stage to perform for the audience in wait for A Boogie.
Anthony Baldeosingh, ’22, and Russell Rohan, ’23, who perform under the names of BKChapo and Kai Tailor respectively, were greeted enthusiastically by their peers.
“I’ve known (Baldeosingh) throughout my time at Allegheny,” Kaung Myat Htet, ’22, said. “It was really awesome to see him perform in front of everyone.”
A Boogie was expected to perform at around 9 p.m. but did not open his performance until roughly 10:15 p.m.
DJ Ominaya, A Boogie’s DJ, started warming up the crowd by mixing music at 10 p.m.
“(Ominaya) really knew what he was doing,” Kidane said. “He played just the right music to get everyone hyped up after things had been stagnant for a while.”
A Boogie opened with one of his most well-known songs, “Look Back At It.”
“It was a great moment when he ran onto the stage,” Minhas said. “The DJ transitioned him into the performance really well.”
A Boogie performed a wide variety of his discography with songs such as “Swervin,” 24 Hours,” “Demons and Angels” and “Love Drugs and Sex.”
“I wasn’t expecting him to perform so many songs,” Desai said. “I definitely think he made up for being late, especially towards the end of his performance.”
A Boogie initially ended his performance with another one of his biggest hits, “Drowning,” before succumbing to the crowd’s request for “one more.”
A Boogie performed an encore and thanked the crowd for showing such positive energy. He also threw his hat into the crowd for someone to return from the concert with a special souvenir.
Although many students were frustrated with the long wait for A Boogie’s headline performance, the general consensus was a positive one.
“This is the best event I’ve attended at Allegheny by far,” Minhas said.
Kidane and Desai both agreed with Minhas, whilst Thapa emphasized that such a successful and high-profile event is sure to have an impact on ASG’s ability to organize even bigger events in the future.
“Although I won’t be here to experience it, I do think that Allegheny will become a more happening place, much like it was before COVID struck,” Thapa said.