The 20th annual Bulldog Bash took place this past Friday in downtown Starkville. The night was full of good music, great vibes and an overall fun atmosphere for the Mississippi State University family. Friday was filled with festivities for students, faculty, alumni and the Bulldog community. The Maroon Market took place during the day, which consisted of local vendors, food and the community atmosphere Starkville is known for.
On the local stage, bands from the MSU community performed, along with finalists from Battle of the Bands. The music-filled day continued on into the evening with the winner of Battle of the Bands, Yonder Windbreaker. From a Paramore cover to guitar solos, Yonder Windbreaker kept the crowd captivated and engaged. They set the main stage to start out strong in preparation for the main act, T-Pain, who would take the stage later that night.
Next on the stage was Cale Dodds, who brought a more country sound to Bulldog Bash. Even though this artist was talented, he did not fit in with the main stage acts, and the crowd agreed. He did not belong in this Bulldog Bash lineup due to the headliner being a rapper and not a pop-country artist.
After Cale Dodds left the main stage, The Beaches were the next act to perform before the headliner took over the night. This Canadian girl band redeemed the night with a fun and upbeat performance. The crowd enjoyed all of the songs, even if the songs were not widely known. This alternative band put on an engaging performance, which hyped everyone up for T-Pain.
The final act of the night arrived, which is what the entire crowd was waiting for. T-Pain took the stage and gave Starkville an unforgettable performance. Simon Loubser, a student from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, found out about Bulldog Bash from people in his high school’s graduating class.
“I came down to visit my friends who told me about this huge concert in Mississippi, and I thought it would be a fun experience and I did not want to miss it,” Loubser said. “Getting to see T-Pain for free was definitely a highlight of my year, and Bulldog Bash was even more fun than I expected.”
Along with many other out of state crowd members, Loubster enjoyed Bulldog Bash and T-Pain.
Due to Bulldog Bash being the largest outdoor concert in Mississippi, this event attracts a large crowd from all over the state and surrounding states. This creates an increase in local business traffic, along with growing the Bulldog family, making this event a vital part of MSU history.
This was Liam Reynolds’, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, third Bulldog Bash experience.
“Seeing T-Pain perform songs I used to listen to made fighting the large crowd to get to the venue worth it,” Reynolds said.
The second T-Pain took the stage, he had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. Everyone was dancing in the streets of Starkville and enjoying the hype music T-Pain brought to the stage.
Getting to hear “Low” performed live was the highlight of my Bulldog Bash experience, along with many other students and community members who listened to that song in middle school.
Dalton Goode, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering, came to Bulldog Bash to see his friends and enjoy the Starkville atmosphere and to get a break from his out-of-state internship.
“I showed up a little late, and unfortunately only got to hear T-Pain, but I heard from my friends that all of the acts were great,” Goode said. “T-Pain was better than I expected, and I really enjoyed some of the songs I have not heard before.”
