Despite temperatures soaring into triple digits, 4,500 Cal State Fullerton students congregated at the Intramural Fields Saturday for Associated Students Inc. second annual Fall Concert.
The ASI organizers assembled a lineup featuring musicians from wide-ranging backgrounds and genres — from Filipino Australian singer-songwriter Grentperez’s acoustic ballads to a clubby DJ set by New York-based musician The Dare.
Andrea Nunez, program coordinator for student programming and engagement at ASI, said that creating a diverse program was a priority.
“It’s all up to our student programmers. These are students who go ahead and pick and choose these artists,” Nunez said. “We just want to cater to all our communities out here on campus. Like bringing someone like Grentperez, bringing someone like Kalan.FrFr, as well as incorporating pop and hyperpop like Between Friends.”
The impulse to create an inclusive festival-style night was also felt in the range of food vendors, representing global cuisines as well as student vendors who showed off the craftiness and creativity of the CSUF student body. Student attendees could enjoy wood-fired pizza, fusion dumplings and aguas frescas.
Opening for the night were two third-year CSUF students, DJs Foxx Redd, a psychology major, and Mikie Nava, a kinesiology major.
“It feels like a festival. Look around, there’s people going crazy, people on the floor,” Nava said. “Everyone’s having a good time, and I’m just so glad I was able to play and participate in it.”
(Minh Nguyen / Daily Titan)
Following the Titan DJs was an acoustic guitar set by Grentperez, who played songs full of uncertainty and pining in between light, conversational crowdwork. Notably, he instructed the audience to open a mosh pit to his ballad “Clementine”— they reciprocated his enthusiasm.
“I knew I had to bring some sort of energy, but I wasn’t going to stray too far away from myself,” Grentperez said. “I’m glad my people were here. I’m glad they had fun. That was lit.”
The next set featured Kalan.FrFr appearing onstage with an entourage numbering no fewer than ten friends and team members supporting him as DJs and performers. His hip-hop and R&B performance was lively, but no less confessional, featuring tracks such as “Hadju.”
“I went to San Diego State, so every time I come back to perform at a college, I just feel connected somehow,” Kalan.FrFr said. “I got love for everybody in college. I get the journey.”
(Minh Nguyen / Daily Titan)
Between Friends, known for their bedroom pop, turned up the heat with a nonstop, left-field electronic set. Their set was full of frenetic energy, with the band climbing on the deck and dancing chaotically, complemented by glitchy stage visuals. Their performance concluded with the duo crossing the barricade to greet their ecstatic fans.
The closer for the night was The Dare, who brought a clubby DJ set to CSUF’s campus, backed by a video wall strobing between black and white. He remixed hits like Addison Rae’s “Diet Pepsi” and his collaboration “Guess,” with Charli XCX, before concluding the night with a tectonic performance of his very own hit, “Girls.”
To cool down from both extreme high temperatures and the heat each artist brought to the Fall Concert stage, ASI provided concertgoers with access to the Wellness Village, an expansion of the inaugural Fall Concert’s Wellness Tent. Aromatherapy, massages, and a zen “Silent Disco” allowed audiences a much-needed break from the packed crowds and high-energy sets.
At the Wellness Village, Joseph Rubio, a second-year mechanical engineering student, expressed his satisfaction with the concert after six hours in the triple-digit weather.
(Minh Nguyen / Daily Titan)
“While the energy of the concert was real cool, this Wellness Village allowed me to kind of just decompress or just relax for a bit,” Rubio said. “I only thought it was just going to be the concert. I actually didn’t even expect there to be the other booths, like the free supplies and everything.”
With the impressive turnout and reaction to this year’s Fall Concert, the organizers saddle high hopes onto the prospect of next year’s Fall Concert.
“Hopefully some bigger names next year if we have the budget for that,” Nunez said. “We’ll try to incorporate our best to make it like a mini Coachella Festival.”