Jade Jack
On Saturday morning, students living in West Campus dorms woke up to a different sound than their alarm clocks.
The West Campus Traditions Committee hosted a day-long concert of six bands that played on the West Campus Amphitheater located behind Bragaw Residence Hall. The main list of performers included local bands: Starting Tuesday, Labeling Deloris, Kept Eclectic, Dakota Darling, The Motion and Big City Reverie.
“It went very well,” Andrew Reep, a sophomore in paper science engineering and chemical engineering and a member of the West Campus Traditions Committee, said. “We were very pleased with the turnout and the quality of bands, especially considering its first year of comeback.”
An estimated 500 students attended the concert throughout the day, according to Reep.
Reep said after talking to alumnus parents, the Committee found the West Campus Jam was an annual event that used to happen on campus about two to three decades ago.
Brian Burleson, a sophomore in English education, said he attended the entire concert.
“It was awesome to sit there and listen to them from the first one to the last one,” Burleson said.
Burleson said he traveled to downtown Raleigh prior to the West Campus Jam to hear the same bands play.
“These are bands that you usually pay for, but here it was free,” Burleson said. “People missed out on the opportunity that was just sitting next door.”
Other students saw the bands for the first time.
“I don’t go to concerts very much,” John Mickey, a sophomore in business management, said. “Being able to see six concerts in a row was a cool experience.”
Scott Floyd, a sophomore in science education, said he performed two acoustic songs in between the set list of bands.
“All the musicians and audience were very supportive,” Floyd said. “It did help to keep me driven to work towards a music career.”
Floyd said he is writing songs to play at local acoustic alternative rock shows, hoping to start a career as a musician. He said he felt the West Campus Jam was a good experience before he performs at other venues in Raleigh.
“I would definitely recommend anybody interested in starting in music or has a band looking for an opportunity to get their music out, to see if they can get on the bill for next year,” Floyd said.
Reep said the committee is planning to organize a West Campus Jam next year, due to this year’s success.
Despite having a majority of modern rock playing Saturday, Reep said the committee is open to having different genres of music performed at the next concert.
“We’re very open to any performing artist, whether that would be rock, country or hip-hop,” Reep said. “We’re just out there to listen to music and have fun.”