The energy in the air was palpable as students anxiously waited for the annual Spring Concert to start on the night of Thursday, April 27. This year, the featured artists were Andy Grammer and R. City.

In the line formed outside of the Recreation Center, students chatted enthusiastically with one another about how excited they were that they day was finally here.

“I literally died when I found out Andy Grammer was the concert artist because I love him so much!” junior Casey George exclaimed, voicing the sentiment of many others in attendance.

“I enjoyed the concert last year and just really love the energy,” sophomore Russell Azzarrello commented while in line. “I’m definitely excited to see Andy Grammer, but I’m also pretty excited to see R. City because I don’t know a lot [of songs] by them, so I’m interested to see what they bring to the table. Maybe I’ll find a new artist I like.”

After months of hard work and planning, Campus Entertainment Network was finally able to see the fruits of their labor.

CEN Traditions Co-Chair Gillian Goodrich had a lot of fun planning the event.

“The most important part for me going into this role as the traditions chair was keeping everyone’s energy positive and making sure that the students on campus are happy. That was my number one priority in stepping into this position.”

Kevin Taratuta, the other Traditions co-chair, was especially pleased with the concert’s vibe.

“I think that the overall difference this year is that it is a bit more relaxed. It’s not heavy rock or rap, it’s more pop.”

All night, students sang along, danced, and became lost in the music.

“Anything that happens tonight, you can blame on me!” R. City yelled, warming up the crowd with “Blame It On the Night.” Other songs in his setlist included “Black Beatles,” “Broccoli,” and “Work.”

“Who came out here to get lit tonight? We are gonna have a good time!” R. City exclaimed, promising the crowd a great night.

The music duo shared some Caribbean slang, informing the audience that they use the ‘F word’ to describe everything. They then added that there’s another word that they use often on the islands: “fet.” “This word means to party, to have a good time,” R. City explained, adding “Did you all come here to have a good time tonight?”

Each time they played a small bit of various well-known songs, R. City called out, “I bet you did not know we made this song right here.” “We Can’t Stop,” “23,” and “I Don’t Mind,” were among these crowd pleasers.

They finished with their biggest hit, “Locked Away,” as cheers erupted through the thoroughly hyped up crowd.

However, the crowd went even wilder as time went on, knowing that they weren’t far from the biggest on-campus performance of the year.

“I would say that clubs and colleges are my favorite places to play because they’re always super energetic,” Grammer said in an interview with The Hawks’ Herald.

“I mostly just to try and remind myself that it’s not just another show, because when you do it every night it can turn into that, but it’s not,” Grammer explained in response to a question about any pre-show rituals he has. “Like tonight, I’ll try to remember the first time I went to a show as a college student, I try to get pumped up and make sure that everyone gets what they need.”

Tonight was certainly no exception.

To cheers of his name, Grammer took the stage with one of his biggest hits, “Keep Your Head Up.”

Other songs in his setlist included “Blame It on the Stars,” “Ladies,” “Fresh Eyes,” and, of course, “Honey, I’m Good.” When they heard the beginnings of “Fresh Eyes” and “Honey, I’m Good,” the crowd exploded.

To the surprise and elation of the crowd, he jumped off the stage to dance through the audience. The energy was higher than ever as Grammer closed the night out with “Good to Be Quiet.”

Leaving the Rec Center, students could be heard raving about how incredible the artists were.

“Fresh eyes was my favorite song of the night,” said junior Sarah Slowik as she left the concert. “The vibe was awesome, good atmosphere. Both artists were really connecting with the audience.”

“The spring concert was a great way to celebrate the end of my freshman year,” Ashley Bosse agreed.

“The best part of the concert is just seeing the university’s output in action,” Taratuta said. “I really like seeing everyone’s reaction to their favorite artist.”