{"id":229575,"date":"2026-04-13T10:41:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T10:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/229575\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T10:41:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T10:41:08","slug":"usfs-2026-bullstock-music-festival-exceeded-expectations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/229575\/","title":{"rendered":"USF\u2019s 2026 Bullstock Music Festival exceeded expectations"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>From popular artists like The Driver Era to student bands, the performances at Bullstock made my first experience memorable. ORACLE PHOTO\/ARIANA RIVADENEIRA HERRERA<\/p>\n

As an avid fan of live music, I was ecstatic when I learned that USF offered a music festival on campus in the spring semester \u2014 no matter what artists might be there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And once I knew this year\u2019s Bullstock Music Festival headliner was The Driver Era<\/a>, an alternative pop-rock band led by former Disney Channel star Ross Lynch and his brother Rocky Lynch, I knew I had to go.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve listened to the band for years and while I wouldn\u2019t consider myself a die-hard fan, I was excited at the possibility of hearing some of my favorite songs live.<\/p>\n

Bullstock is USF\u2019s annual music festival<\/a>, hosted on the Tampa campus by the Campus Activities Board. The festival offers free admission to active USF students and one $30 guest ticket per student, according to CAB<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Aside from The Driver Era, this year\u2019s lineup included two winners of USF\u2019s Battle of the Bands<\/a>, Indigo Lane and my dead roommate and openers Sydney Ross Mitchell and MARIS<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While I was excited for Bullstock, I was unsure what my experience would be like, since I only knew the headlining artist \u2014 but I enjoyed the performances much more than I expected.<\/p>\n

Before the first performance even started, Lot 35 was filled with food trucks, photobooths, giveaways and merch tables from some of the artists.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Once I got a printed photo with my friends and took a free energy drink from the Monster Energy table, I made my way towards the pit.<\/p>\n

The first performer was one of the Battle of the Bands winners, Indigo Lane. While I enjoyed the performance, what stood out to me more was how much of their personality was visible on stage.<\/p>\n

Related: USF Bullstock opener MARIS talks backstory, songwriting<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

I have found that it is rare for up-and-coming artists to feel comfortable with crowd interaction, but it was clear that this alternative indie rock band had a fun group dynamic and enjoyed speaking with the crowd.<\/p>\n

The next USF band was the other Battle of the Bands winner \u2014 five-member progressive rock band<\/a> my dead roommate.<\/p>\n

While their performance was less focused on vocals, they did have strong instrumental elements, especially their electric guitar and drums.<\/p>\n

After the two brief 25-minute sets from the Battle of the Bands winners, two openers remained until the much-anticipated headliner.<\/p>\n

Folk dream pop singer Sydney Ross Mitchell<\/a> offered a contrast to the previous high-energy performances with her mellow, acoustic set.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I enjoyed the nostalgic themes in her songwriting and her storytelling about her upbringing in Texas in between songs.<\/p>\n

She concluded her performance with \u201cThe Edge<\/a>\u201d, which became my personal favorite of her setlist.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I realized I had known of the song years prior without realizing it was hers, so hearing it live was an exciting surprise.<\/p>\n

The next performance was pop-rock singer MARIS<\/a>, which I enjoyed more than I anticipated.<\/p>\n

As someone who doesn\u2019t consistently listen to pop music, I was unsure if I would resonate with her set, but the energy she brought to the stage was contagious.<\/p>\n

It was clear the crowd felt this way too, as I observed hundreds of students around me dancing to her music, even if they didn\u2019t appear to know the words.<\/p>\n

From a choreographed dance break with her drummer to bringing a fan\u2019s phone on stage in the middle of a song, her spontaneity brought the crowd to life.<\/p>\n

Related: OPINION: USF\u2019s music scene is the lifeblood of the campus <\/a><\/p>\n

The Driver Era concluded the music festival and it was my favorite performance of the night.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Opening with \u201cYou Keep Me Up At Night<\/a>\u201d from the duo\u2019s most recent album, Obsession, released in 2025, the excitement in the crowd was unmistakable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The duo followed with songs like \u201cNobody Knows\u201d, \u201cRumors\u201d and one of my favorites \u2014 \u201cGet Off My Phone\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, the most memorable part of their performance was when Ross Lynch surprised the crowd with a performance of \u201cOn My Own<\/a>\u201d from the 2015 Disney film he starred in, Teen Beach 2<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The nostalgia brought fans in the crowd together as students cheered and sang along.<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s set list ended with its top hit on Spotify<\/a>, \u201cA Kiss\u201d, which ended the night on a fun note.<\/p>\n

From student rock bands to Disney throwbacks, this year\u2019s Bullstock catered to a variety of students, no matter their musical tastes.<\/p>\n

With this being my first year attending Bullstock, I\u2019m looking forward to who CAB will bring on stage next \u2014 but I think this year\u2019s lineup will be hard to beat. <\/p>\n

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