As night approached Thursday, masses of music enthusiasts which included Mississippi State University students and faculty, Starkville residents and concert-goers from the surrounding area all flocked to the MSU Amphitheater for the Old Main Music Festival. Though no official counts were available, the massive crowd was estimated to be well in excess of 6,000 at its peak.”The turnout has absolutely exceeded our expectations,” Campus Activities Board student director Patrick Young said during the show. “The crowd has gotten bigger and bigger as the festival continued on.”
Gates opened for the event at 5:30 p.m., with opening act Jamie Davis and Soul Gravy taking the stage at 6 p.m. The rest of the night’s performers include national acts the Gin Blossoms, Fabolous and OneRepublic.
Though the event’s attendance reached its highest number during the later performances of national acts, many members of the crowd arrived early with lawn chairs and blankets in tow for Soul Gravy’s set.
“I’m actually mainly coming to see the local talent,” sophomore mechanical engineering major Taylor Cox said before the show. “Jamie Davis and Soul Gravy is excellent.”
Members of Soul Gravy, which is composed of Mississippi State students and alumni, said they were excited to have a chance to perform at their alma mater in front of several nationally-recognized acts.
“It was a good show, and we had a good time,” guitarist and harmony vocalist Dan Isbell said. “It’s awesome to look out and see the people that you have class with and know they support you and the things you’ve created.”
Many Soul Gravy fans in attendence appreciated a chance to relax before the stress of exams kick in.
“They’re a good band and it’s just chill music,” junior aerospace engineering major Danny Drake said.
Soul Gravy’s set consisted of original songs, including its upbeat opener “Crazy Sometimes” and slower songs like “One More Song.” After Soul Gravy’s set, Gin Blossoms took the stage. Many at the festival said their main reason for attending the festival was to see Gin Blossoms.
“I wanted to see Gin Blossoms because I grew up listening to them,” English graduate student Jordan Doherty said.
The Gin Blossoms set included their hits “Follow You Down” and “Hey Jealousy.” After Blossoms, rapper Fabolous took the stage, bringing the Old Main crowd to life with hits like “Breathe” and “Diamonds.”
Sophomore business administration major Shanodia Pulliam said she has been a fan of Fabolous sine his earliest work.
“I wanted to see Fabolous,” Pulliam said. “I’ve liked him ever since he came out.”
OneRepublic took the stage to round out the night. The up and coming rock outfit had much of the crowd singing along with recent monster hits “Apologize” and “Stop and Stare.”
“OneRepublic is an excellent band,” senior marketing major Gavin Hill said. “I have their CD I love all their songs”
The members of OneRepublic shared the audience’s enthusiasm for the show.
“It was the best show this tour easily, because of the crowd,” guitarist Drew Brown said.
OneRepublic members said Thursday night’s perfect weather was a factor in the show’s success.
“We’ve been playing all these outdoor shows, but they’ve been freezing and raining and snowing,” vocalist Ryan Tedder said. “This is the first time we’ve played an outdoor show where people weren’t getting hypothermia.”
Music wasn’t the only activity at the festival. Crocs NextStep Tour, which was responsible for bringing OneRepublic and Fabolous to the show, also brought a tent in which audience members could experience new shoe designs.
Local vendors, including Mugshots and TwentyOne Apartments had booths set up as well.
“We wanted to be a part of the Starkville community and support the student organizations and the university,” TwentyOne Apartments community assistant Madison Guyton said.
Despite the large numbers and the high-energy atmosphere, the crowd remained fairly well behaved throughout the night. The one exception occurred during Fabolous’ set. A member of the crowd jumped on stage and danced before being escorted off by security.
“As far as I know, as of this point we haven’t had any problems,” one police officer reported late during OneRepublic’s set.
The student organizations that arranged the Old Main Music Festival said the event was a massive success.
“It was an awesome show,” CAB and Music Makers sponsor Samantha Musil said. “The crowd was amazing. They were really into the music.