This year’s homecoming concert was a little bit different than most homecoming concerts.  First, it was on a Thursday night, which threw a lot of students for a loop.  Next, the entertainers for this year were Gareth Emery and Big Sean, which made a lot of students very apprehensive.  Many students didn’t know who Gareth Emery was, and Big Sean?  Well, many of us couldn’t name a song by him that isn’t Beware or Dance.

But after last night, that all changed.

The concert started late, as usual, but when Gareth Emery ran out on stage, students—apprehensive or not— cheered for him, and he deserved all the applause he received.  Senior Errol Cooper was pleasantly surprised.  “I can definitely vibe to Gareth Emery.  He was killin’ it.”  With their glow sticks in the air, students were clearly feeling Gareth Emery and his beats.  He played remixes to songs such as Clarity, Reload and Satisfaction and also played some of his own songs including Arrival and Concrete Angel.  Gareth Emery’s accent was also a pleasant surprise.  Atara Muhammad, a sophomore, exclaimed, “I definitely wasn’t expecting it.  I love it!”  Gareth Emery was unquestionably a big hit, and that is not a surprise.

As far as Big Sean is concerned, I think it’s safe to say that we were all blown away.  His performance was full of energy, full of surprises and full of crowd interactions.  Everybody turned all the way up for Big Sean.  He entered his performance with the song Mercy and performed Dance right after.  He performed several other songs before a guest appearance by rapper Ace Hood.   Big Sean performed chart toppers such as Guap and Marvin Gaye & Chardonnay and songs from his Detroit mixtape.  After the concert, Big Sean came out behind the BUC and said hey to his fans by taking selfies, shaking hands and giving hugs.  Eboni Person, a junior, said, “As a Detroit native, I was super excited to see Big Sean.  This was the best concert I’ve ever been to.”

And we have to agree.  This year’s homecoming was definitely the best in the past few years. Gareth Emery and Big Sean are two performers that we would love to have come back to the U.

If you didn’t attend this one, then you definitely missed out.

Check out some more photos of the concert below:

words_kayla lott. photos_karli evans and raquel zaldivar.