The University held its annual Fall Concert with performances by DJ Steve Aoki and band AJR on Sept. 28. The Concert Committee began planning this event last summer, sending a survey to all students asking what artist they would be most interested in seeing perform at the University. Steve Aoki received a large amount of votes, and his schedule aligned with the University’s, so the Concert Committee invited him to perform. The popular band AJR was invited as well, serving as an opening act. AJR is an upcoming indie pop band consisting of three brothers: Adam, Jack, and Ryan Met.

Concert Committee Chair Graham Gilliam ’19 commented on these two performers. “They both have unique music styles that complement each other nicely — especially when they decided to perform their song ‘Pretender’ together for the first time live on the University stage,” Gilliam said.

Gilliam also offered insight into the behind-the-scenes process of planning a concert. The Concert Committee met on a weekly basis to discuss different aspects of the upcoming concert, as well as marketing and sales strategies. Furthermore, the concert committee has an executive committee, with each member taking charge of a different aspect of planning the concert. These positions include controlling the show’s production, managing the social media account, and overseeing the committee’s public relations effort.

“The most stressful part [of planning an event of this size] is coming up with a unique marketing campaign to engage the student body and increase ticket sales,” Gilliam said.

“My favorite part was the ‘get caked’ song. Just seeing Steve Aoki throwing cake into the audience and everyone going crazy was really fun,” Nicole Everett ’22 said.