On March 5, the Clemson Undergraduate Student Government (CUSG) and TigerLive presented the Spring Block Party, a free concert for students featuring current student Hunter Holland, alumnus Seabash and headliner Sean Kingston at Tiger Park. The event also had three food trucks: Your Pie, Gigi’s Grill and The Pound Cake Man.
Gates opened around 5:30 p.m. but a line had already begun forming by 4 p.m. outside the venue because of the 2,5000-person max capacity. The students waiting were joyful as they sang along to “Super Bass” and “Party in the U.S.A.” but eventually people began to get more impatient to be let into the venue.
Once the gates opened, it was a fast and easy process to enter. As people poured into the park, the lines for food began to grow exponentially. With only three food trucks serving 2,500 college kids, the lines stretched across the park. Many people were still waiting in the food truck lines when Hunter Holland came on around 6:30 p.m., and people waited over an hour to eat.
Hunter Holland was the first act of the night, performing mostly country songs and a few other covers. He was engaging, but some more variety in his set probably would have allowed him to reach a wider audience at the concert. Holland performed Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69,” “Feathered Indians” by Tyler Childers, Train’s “Drops of Jupiter” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” among others. Holland’s set was definitely enjoyable, but it remains to be seen if he can stand out among the crowded field of Clemson country music performers.
Up next at Spring Block Party was Clemson alumnus Seabash. Seabash’s set, which also included other DJs and performers, was a bit unimpressive. It seemed that Seabash struggled to hold the crowd’s attention while the audience got more restless for Kingston to come on. Seabash’s set had a nice range of music, including “Ms. Jackson” by OutKast, “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child and Earth, Wind and Fire’s “September,” but it was hard to keep the crowd engaged. I think Seabash had a harder task than Holland, as Holland performed while the crowd was still getting food and settling in, so Seabash had to engage the audience more, but his set did not inspire me to look into his music.
“We are not going to make a headline of someone getting crushed,” Hays said. “Get back or I’m going to pull the plug. We will send Mr. Kingston back to his hotel.”
There was a brief interlude before Kingston started as the crowd had moved too close to the stage. Around 8:35, Assistant Vice President of Campus Life, Mandy Hays, got on stage and said, “We want this show to continue. Do you?” Hays stated that the show may be shut down because the crowd had pushed forward too much. People in the back of the venue were also allegedly climbing on fences. “We are not going to make a headline of someone getting crushed,” Hays said. “Get back or I’m going to pull the plug. We will send Mr. Kingston back to his hotel.” At 8:45, CUSG President Will Reinert got on stage and again pleaded with the audience to move back from the stage, stating that people need to take 20 steps back so no one gets crushed.
Kingston eventually came up to a much more enthusiastic crowd, performing several of his hit songs such as “Beautiful Girls” and his collaboration with Justin Bieber, “Eenie Meenie.” The crowd kept an energy that overcame the threat of Kingston leaving, however the energy dimmed slightly when Kingston announced he’d be singing “Beat It,” a song he collaborated on with Chris Brown. Brown faced severe backlash after pleading guilty to felony assault charges in 2009. When Kingston attributed the song to Brown, there was a noticeable weariness that rose amongst the audience.
Kingston closed with “Fire Burning.” He proceeded to ask another member on stage to pick fans from the crowd to go up on stage and grab a picture with him. The crowd rushed to the front, undoing any spacing that officials had encouraged the crowd to take. After photos were taken, Kingston left the stage, and the crowd dispersed.
After the show, Hays elaborated on her announcement to the crowd, saying, “We were already in a situation where we had students at the front, their ribcage was over the rail so they couldn’t breathe.” Hays affirmed her concern of the importance of the safety issue, noting that as the audience in the back kept pushing to the stage, they were unaware of the harm that could be done at the front.
Overall, the concert delivered an enjoyable mix of genres and a mostly fun atmosphere. In terms of the cost of entry, the show was well worth the free admission. The threats of cancellation put a damper on the mood, but Kingston’s energy brought it back and ended the night with an atmosphere that the audience hoped for and enjoyed.
