Student Life at Montclair (SLAM) did it again with one of its most anticipated events on the night of Oct. 27 at Yogi Berra Stadium. The homecoming concert with singer Jacquees and rapper MoneyBagg Yo was exciting for students, staff, school organizations and even people outside the university seconds after it was announced.
Anthony Zawrak, SLAM’s on-campus event coordinator, said he felt rewarded to finally be able to see these artists after a “crazy process” of preparations and hard work.
“Hearing about this event for a very long time behind the scenes and seeing it all come together does feel very great,” Zawrak said.
Montclair State University welcomes one of the artists to the stage.
Photo courtesy of Shane Nourie
While the event opened its doors around 7 p.m., many people were lined up two hours in advance to secure seats as close to the stage as possible.
Willow Bradley, a freshman exercise science major, was one of the first people in line. She admitted to feeling excited and energetic, mainly because of the positive atmosphere among the people even before entering.
“I think the vibes are going to be good,” Bradley said. “I feel everybody here is here to have a good time.”
Freshman exercise science major Willow Bradley enjoys the music before the concert starts.
Photo courtesy of Shane Nourie
For many others, this event was the perfect opportunity to take a little break from the stress of school. Constance Lemon, a freshman computer science major, said she was grateful to SLAM for organizing fun events for the students to enjoy.
“I’m happy I’m able to distress because midterms really stressed me out,” Lemon said. “I’m ready [to] just have fun, dance and not worry about any work.”
As the doors opened, all the seats were quickly taken and in less than 20 minutes all the front rows were full.
It started with the performance of various talents, which raised the mood of the event with their music. Also, a DJ played several catchy mixes with different genres of music. Most of the attendees got up from their seats to sing and dance non-stop.
As a spectator, one could feel the adrenaline rushing as soon as the DJ announced the first artist.
The first to take the stage was Jacquees. He began to sing and shouts of happiness were heard throughout the stadium. The rapper began his performance singing his most popular songs, including “B.E.D.,” “You,” “You Belong To Somebody Else” and “Who’s,” along with others. The crowd couldn’t stop screaming, jumping and taking pictures, flashing phones lit up the front rows.
Singer Jacquees performs his single “B.E.D.” along with his dancers.
Photo courtesy of Shane Nourie
One of the night’s highlights, according to some in the audience, was seeing Jacquees move along with his two side dancers. Another highlight was the songs themselves, according to Maya Savoy, a junior journalism and digital media major, who watched the concert from the front row with her friends.
“I think Jacquees had a great setlist,” Savoy said.
During the last few minutes of his presentation, Jacquees took a few seconds to say “I love you” to the entire audience before leaving the stage.
Jacquees shows love to his fans at the end of the concert.
Photo courtesy of Shane Nourie
The second artist was the long-awaited rapper MoneyBagg Yo. Many big fans of his music said they were pleased to finally be able to attend this event just to see him perform. His setlist included songs like “Me Vs Me,” “Wockesha,” “Time Today” and “U Played.”
Anthony Sandin, who accompanied of one SLAM’s executive board members during the event, enjoyed the performance as this was his first time at a concert.
“It was really good,” Sandin said. “I came here because I’m a big fan of MoneyBagg Yo. It was a really good experience.”
The biggest moment of the night, and the least unexpected, was when MoneyBagg Yo approached the audience and interacted with them. He took this opportunity to sing to the audience, sign autographs and take pictures with his fans.
Many people at the event agreed seeing MoneyBagg Yo interacting with his fans was their favorite part.
Photo courtesy of Dan Dreisbach
But when it looked like the show was about to end, Moneybagg Yo and his team threw 20 and 10-dollar bills into the audience. It caused a little chaos, but it turned out to be fun and exciting, especially for those who did get some cash like freshman psychology major Gabriella Liriano.
“I had a lot of fun,” Liriano said. “My favorite part is when I get 20 dollars from one of [MoneyBagg Yo’s] friends.”
Rapper MoneyBagg Yo interacts with the crowd.
Photo courtesy of Shane Nourie
The concert was undoubtedly a great event with a great atmosphere, good music and above all, a visit from two great artists who will remain in the minds of all participants as one of their best college memories.
