Brendan Bonner ‘23

News Editor

With the surge of COVID cases trending favorably down, Holy Cross students were rewarded with the return of on-campus concerts, a pre-pandemic staple of student events. The Fall Concert was hosted by CAB and served as a way to both honor all of the student’s hard work combating the virus, as well as a replacement for the Spring Concert that had always been held in years prior to the pandemic. 

The Fall Concert was held on the Freshmen Field this past Friday, kicking off Homecoming weekend with a huge bang. This year, the headlining act for the concert was none other than the Kid Laroi, a viral pop rap sensation that has had a meteoric rise to stardom over the past few years. Notable songs include “Diva” with Lil Tecca, “Go” with Juice WRLD, and of course “Stay” with Justin Beiber, which sat number on the Billboard Hot 100 for twelve consecutive weeks. There was also an opening act at the show, namely DJ ReaLP, a local Boston DJ who got the show started at 5:45. 

Before arriving and taking part in the event, students had to complete a few requirements to assure entry. The first and most important of these requirements naturally was receiving both doses of the vaccine as this concert was “recognition of students’ efforts to get vaccinated”. 

The second major requirement was an extension of the first: being HCClear, something that all residential students are very familiar with. However, instead of just filling out the daily survey, students also had to pick up a wristband that further proved that they were in fact HCClear. 

The event itself was held across Freshmen Field, with a large stage being set up with lights and smoke machines. The stage was surrounded by concession stands and security, while the center of the space was left for students to dance and enjoy the concert. The Kid Laroi took the stage around 6:30 and performed until 7:50, with an encore included. The crowd was energized for the entire duration of the Kid Laroi’s set, with “Stay” being the biggest hit of the whole show without a doubt. 

Another huge highlight of the show was when President Vincent Rougeau took the stage and was greeted by uproarious cheers from the whole crowd. President Rougeau reaffirmed the fact that the students played an important role in handling the surge of cases that came earlier in September. 

Students were also ecstatic about the event, especially because it was one of the first large-scale in person events held since the beginning of the pandemic. “The CAB and Holy Cross administration did a great job organizing the event and it was nice to see the student community back together after a long year away,” says Ryan Killcomins ‘23. This is but one of the many glowing reviews that the concert has received and students are excited for similar events to take place in the future.