Low Torero turnout at tailgate

In an effort to boost school spirit, Torero Program Board (TPB)and the University of San Diego’s football team collaborated to put on a pregame concert last Saturday. 

The concert, hosted at Eagan Plaza in front of the Jenny Craig Pavilion, featured Nick Strand of Seeb, an electronic music trio hailing from Norway. Seeb’s set was lively and established the energy level appropriate for the ensuing football game against Butler University. 

Seeb performed original songs such as “Rich Love,” “Breathe,” and “What Do You Love,“ as well as his more well-known remixes of songs including “I Took A Pill In Ibiza,” and The Chainsmokers’ “Don’t Let Me Down.”  

Seeb’s music was well suited to the tailgate, but the interaction with the audience left something to be desired. Strand went onstage without any sort of introduction, leaving some audience members confused as to what was going on. 

In addition, he made no use of his microphone during his set, missing out on opportunities to energize the crowd between songs. At times, Seeb’s set seemed like less of a main event for the tailgate and more of background music, which did a disservice to Seeb and the quality of the music. While some of these issues fell on Seeb and the lack of engagement with the crowd, much of it was a symptom of a disappointing turnout of students at the tailgate. 

The crowd throughout the concert was sparse, and seemed far too small for an artist such as Seeb, who routinely plays big concerts for large crowds in Europe. However, the students who did show up seemed to have a good time and appeared to enjoy the music.

The problem of student attendance lacking at on-campus events and school spirit in general is nothing new at USD, though. Trying to increase school spirit and engage the student body has been a consistent goal of various student and university organizations in recent years. 

Kalley Kenny, the concert coordinator for TPB, spoke about their vision for the event.

“By having Seeb perform in the Eagan Plaza this past Saturday, we wanted to bolster school spirit and support our football team,” Kenny said. “We also wanted to provide a cohesive atmosphere that would bring students together through good music, delicious food, and fun games.” 

While this event did not have an overwhelming turnout, Kenny said she believes that with better advertising, it could be a compelling event for students to attend in the future. 

“I think Associated Students can increase student engagement and attendance at events through social media and word of mouth,”Kenny said. “We’ve been discussing how to get involved with people around campus and have decided to start showing our faces in student org and Greek life meetings. Not a single group can spread an event to 2000 people, so we have to find a way to collaborate with those around us.”

With the right artist, a pregame tailgate and concert could be a lively destination for students on Saturdays, and could potentially increase attendance at the games following them.

Anderson Haigler | Arts&Culture Editor | The USD Vista