UCONNIC Music Festival, the annual concert organized by the Student Union Board of Governors, was held outside at Founders Green on Friday, April 17.
This year’s iteration brought a variety of opening artists, ranging from the student DJs, DJ Meow and DJ Rytm, Storrs-based rock band Tweed Sugar and Philadelphia indie artist Noah Richardson. The headlining artist capping it all off was American rapper Quavo, frontman of the now-disbanded hip-hop group Migos.
The concert typically occurs in Gampel Pavilion, which is currently undergoing renovations. This year’s concert would have been held with rain or shine, but it worked out with comfortable 60-degree weather and a light breeze.
Behzad Qurbani, a sixth-semester nursing student, said he hasn’t attended a UCONNIC since his second semester, when Swae Lee was the opener, and it was held at Gampel.
“Compared to Gampel, the energy was still there,” Qurbani said. “I don’t think that changed anything.”
The outdoor location right by the Wilbur Cross Building allowed for food vendors like Lizzie’s Curbside to sell food to attendees. There were also free activities from the sponsors, like a CapCut photo booth and samples of Vitamin Water, to accompany the music.
“The free stuff wasn’t bad; it was kind of troublesome holding everything,” Qurbani said. “It was nice to see all the sponsors that helped for the event.”
Mikayla Robinson, an eighth-semester cognitive science major, said the earlier portion of the concert was underwhelming.
“I liked it being outside, I just wish they had more stuff to do,” Robinson said.
Students with tickets entered the fenced-off green through gateways covered with fairy lights. As students trickled in at 7 p.m., DJ Meow and DJ Rytm spun hits from Paramore, Daft Punk, Chief Keef, Future and more to get the energy up. Their set lasted until 7:30 p.m., but they returned to play during the transition periods between the later artists.
Afterward, Tweed Sugar performed an electric set filled with indie rock jams. Each song brought a unique mix of fiery guitar riffs and heavy drumming, with vocals conveying a sense of ache and longing. The band played multiple songs off their latest EP, “7 Letter Word,” like “Dr. Messina” and “After Awhile.”
Noah Richardson was next to take the stage as night closed in on the green, and he came with a full supporting band that transformed his indie-pop sound into heavieralternative country. The crowd grew bigger as he let out one passionate belt after another, with his voice resonating through the area. Among the songs performed was “Tangerine” and a cover of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”
Toward the end of the set, Richardson brought Angelica Whitney, who helped organize the event and was taking pictures, on the stage to sing her “Happy Birthday.” The crowed joined in for the special moment, which Richardson followed with a quick performance of “7 Minutes in Heaven.” Whitney stayed on stage and got the crowd jumping around as Richardson sang.
At 9 p.m., Quavo’s DJ took control of the crowd with a series of popular hip-hop bangers. He built anticipation for the headliner, getting everyone to sing along and keep their hands in the air.
Finally, Quavo appeared 30 minutes later. After paying homage to Takeoff, a former member of Migos who was killed in 2022, he instantly whipped the crowd into a frenzy.
Quavo performed songs spanning his solo material, his work with Migos and some of his biggest features. Among the hits from Migos were “Walk It Talk It” and “Open It Up,” which both got the crowd jumping around. Everyone got especially loud for Travis Scott and Young Thug’s “Pick Up the Phone” and Post Malone’s “Congratulations,” where Quavo featured on both.
Toward the end, Quavo performed the Migos song “Bad and Boujee.” A chorus of voices could be heard singing the opening words, “Raindrop, drop top,” and a sea of phones were out to record the moment.
Elizabeth Charles, a second-semester allied health major, said this was her first UCONNIC and she was particularly excited to see Quavo perform.
“I obviously love Quavo. I was ready,” Charles said. “When he sang ‘Handsome And Wealthy,’ that was my favorite part.”
Jason Ramirez, a second-semester sports management major, said he showed up early to take advantage of the available food and spent the night with his friends.
“It was better than I thought, honestly,” Ramirez said. “When [Quavo] played ‘Pick Up the Phone,’ that was my favorite part. Everybody jumping up and down, shoulder to shoulder. I love concerts.”