Keene State College kicked off Spring Weekend 2015 with a Social Activities Council-hosted concert featuring artists Big Sean and Sage the Gemini.
The concert, with over 2,000 KSC students and guests in attendance, was held in the Spaulding Gymnasium on Friday, April 17.
One KSC first-year, Brendan Olson, was working as a security guard for the Social Activities Council [SAC] during the concert.
Olson said it was his third time working security at a SAC-hosted event.
“I like to describe my job as being a glorified babysitter,” Olson joked.
Olson continued, “I basically just had to watch over the crowd, keep people from going where they weren’t supposed to and I had to break up a fight.”
Despite having to work during the concert, Olson was able to enjoy the music as well.
“The concert was really good, and I was glad we got a performer who the majority of the student population liked. It was really cool to see so many people come out to the show,” Olson said.
Olson also admitted that he wasn’t quite sure who Big Sean was before the concert.
“Honestly, I had no idea who he was,” Olson said.
He continued, “I had to Google a picture of Big Sean while I was guarding his tour bus that day.”
Unlike Olson, KSC student Kate Marinelli said she would describe herself as a longtime Big Sean fan.
“I love Big Sean,” Marinelli said, “I’ve listened to him for a while.”
On the other hand, Marinelli said that she only knew one song from the opening act, Sage the Gemini.
Marinelli said she attended the Friday night concert with her brother.
The siblings said they waited in line for an hour and a half before being let into the Spaulding Gym.
“I chose to bring my brother because none of my friends here like Big Sean and I know [my brother] does,” she explained.
“Rap brought us closer, so it’s a cool experience to be at a concert like that with him,” Marinelli explained.
“It was a long wait, but it was so worth it,” Marinelli said in regards to waiting outside for so long before the concert.
She added, “I would definitely go to another SAC event.”
Taylor Furtado, KSC first-year, got her ticket early the morning they went on sale, conscious of how quickly they could sell out. Furtado, like Marinelli, said she ended up waiting in line for more than an hour.
“I wasn’t thrilled with how they handled the line,” Furtado admitted.
“It was kind of annoying how they only let about fifteen people in at a time, and I heard that a lot of people didn’t even get to see Sage the Gemini perform because of how long they were taking to let people in,” Furtado explained. In spite of this, Furtado said that she had a great time at the concert with her friends.
“I’ll definitely be attending more SAC events at Keene,” Furtado said.
She added, “They did a really good job and I want to thank them for all their hard work for the concert.”
First-year Pete Somers said he realized how quickly the tickets would sell out, so he said he prepared accordingly.
“I set my alarm for six a.m. the day the tickets went on sale,” he explained.
“I knew I had to get my ticket as soon as possible, so I got mine online that morning,” Somers explained.
Somers said he was thrilled with the college’s ability to get Big Sean to perform for Spring Weekend.
“Big Sean is one of the biggest hip-hop artists of this generation, so to see him live in concert at Keene
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was a surreal experience,” Somers said.
“Sage the Gemini isn’t quite as popular, but is also an amazing artist with a lot of potential,” he added.
Somers continued, “The concert itself was the highlight of my year thus far at Keene.”
He continued, “From the atmosphere of the crowd to the light show and the performance in general, everything was on-point and made for an unforgettable time.”
Somers said he and his friends arrived at 5:30 p.m. and waited an hour and a half before being allowed into the gym for the concert.
All in all, Somers said he is looking forward to future Spring Weekends at KSC, as well as other events that the college will host through his remaining years here.
“Overall, I have to tip my hat to KSC and SAC for making this happen,” Somers explained.
He continued, “People don’t understand how much time and effort is put into setting up a concert, especially with someone as renowned as Big Sean.”
“I had a blast and am looking forward to more events in the future at KSC,” he added.
Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@kscequinox.com
