With the streets packed to full capacity and the screams of awe-struck fans in the hot, humid air, R&B quartet 112 entertained the masses like none before them at this year’s Bulldog Bash concert in Starkville’s Cotton District. 112 performed all of their biggest hits for the mostly female crowd who squealed with excitement with every move the boys made.
Halfway through their performance, 112’s Daron ripped his shirt off, and the crowd went even wilder. The bumping bass, superstar dance moves and the crowd hysteria mixed for one concert MSU students won’t soon forget.
Along with 112, a diverse group of bands played at this year’s Bulldog Bash, including country songstress Julie Roberts and the crowd-favorite Will Hoge. Amanda Calhoun, a junior elementary education major, said she likes the diversity of the bands and the social aspect of Bulldog Bash.
“I loved all the bands at Bulldog Bash,” Calhoun said. “I thought they were very diverse, and I thought that was a good thing because it brought in a different crowd.”
She added: “I loved the social aspect as well because everyone came, and they were all in one place.”
Calhoun said she really enjoyed the musicians that put on a show at Bash.
“As far as the bands, I really loved Loose Chain,” she said. “I thought they were very fun and a good band to watch. I especially loved watching 112, too, because they had so much enthusiasm behind them.”
Calhoun said the group’s energy resonated through the crowd.
“The crowd was insane, and I had a really good time,” she said.
Junior biological sciences major Anna Taylor touched more on the social importance of Bulldog Bash, and how the different bands really brought in a good variety of people who could all come and connect with great music.
“My favorite part of Bulldog Bash was the social aspect,” Taylor said. “Just walking around and seeing people who you haven’t seen since last year’s Bulldog Bash or people who have graduated and come back to visit.”
“I thought the bands at Bulldog Bash represented various genres of music very well; they appealed to many different types of people. It ended up bringing a more diverse crowd,” she said.
Director of external affairs for the Student Association and co-coordinator of Bulldog Bash Lauren Burns said the event went better than expected, and she feels the crowd’s overall approval of the bands performances made this year’s Bulldog Bash all the more meaningful.
“We had a huge crowd for this year’s Bulldog Bash, especially for 112,” Burns said. “It’s actually the biggest crowd we’ve ever had with a minority act, so we were really excited about that.”
“As far as the other bands, a lot of people did not know who Will Hoge was, and I had a lot of people come up to me and say, ‘Wow! He’s great. I’m so glad y’all got him,’ and Julie Roberts’ management said that [Bulldog Bash] was the biggest crowd she’d played for, so we were really excited to hear about that,” she added.
The unique atmosphere that came about from having such a wide variety of music is what Burns thinks set this year’s Bulldog Bash apart from the previous Bulldog Bashes.
“It was definitely different from last year,” Burns said. “Not so much as it was better than last year’s, but that it had a different feeling to it. This year it was more of a ‘something for everyone’ feeling. We went for things that would make everyone happy this year, and I really feel like we succeeded in that.”
Burns said the event ran fairly smoothly in terms of safety and general organization.
“I’ve had no complaints so far,” she said. “We didn’t have a bad problem with fights this year. It was just a good night for everyone. Even if it was your first time or you’ve been to every Bulldog Bash, I feel like everyone who came out had a good time.”