The lawn behind Lankford Student Union had been busy all day as students, faculty and people from all around enjoyed various performances from the Blue Heat Dance Team, Longwood Company of Belly Dance, B.A.S.I.C. Gospel Choir and many others.
However, around 5:30 p.m. a larger mass began to form in anticipation for the night of bands and singers.
The crowd of mostly students erupted in applause and screams as country singer Chase Rice stormed onto stage and opened his show with his newest single “Dirt Road Communion.”
By 6:00, most of Lankford Mall was covered with enthusiastic country music fans happily singing and screaming along to some of Chase Rice’s originals and even a few popular covers by artists such as Luke Bryan.
Between every couple songs, Chase would stop to talk and laugh along with his fans crowded around the stage.
Before leaving, he set off a huge round of applause and laughter as he sang and tried to rap Nelly’s part in the remix of the song “Cruise,” made popular by Florida Georgia Line, but actually written by Chase Rice himself.
In an interview, Rice explained that his motivation to write songs came shortly after his father passed away.
“I basically wrote a song about it to deal with it. It kind of took off from there,” he said.
But Chase Rice was only the first act of a set of four amazing concerts that night.
After a short take down and set up period, the lights went down and Travis Porter took the stage with a bang.
Even more people were crowded around the stage, dancing and singing along in a sweaty mob to some of Travis Porter’s most popular songs.
Their voices and the beat of the heavy bass could be heard all across campus.
Fan favorites included “Make it Rain,” “Ayy Ladies” and “Bring It Back.”
The crowd especially jumped and roared when a group of girls was chosen from the audience to jump up onstage and dance along with the group as the line “back that a-- up” was sang during “Bring It Back.”
The fun didn’t end with Travis Porter, though. After another quick set and stage change, it was time for The Hunts to take the stage.
A large amount of student fans remained to cheer on The Hunts as they performed a set list of songs written and recorded by themselves.
The band, made up of seven brothers and sisters, boasted their own combination of indie rock, mixed with some folk and country music that captivated fans and left them wanting more.
The two sisters, Jenni and Jessi, were a fan favorite with their unique voices and constant smiles that seemed to light up the night.
The crowd was upset to hear the band end their last song, a Johnny Cash cover.
Even after the crowd chanted, “One last song,” the band did not return to the stage, but instead could be found autographing and selling their album entitled “We Were Young” offstage.
While many fans eagerly waited in line for their chance to meet The Hunts’ and hopefully get an autograph, the popular reggae band Rebelution took the stage with their first song.
Their music filled Longwood’s campus with a relaxing sound that made everyone sway along.
Popular songs that excited and invigorated the crowd included, “Sky is the Limit” and “Counterfeit Love.”
Just like the previous bands, the group of students gathered around the stage was incredibly disappointed to hear the group play their last song and end the Oktoberfest 2013 concert series.
During an interview with Rebelution, it was easy to see how easy the band got along with each other.
Being California natives, Rebelution was excited to make it this far with their tour.
Saturday night included an incredible line up of bands with music that ranged from indie rock to hardcore hip hop and rock with just about everything in between.
The popular bands and music brought to Longwood by Mortar Board and Lancer Productions pulled students away from studying for those dreaded midterms this coming week and created a great way to spend a Saturday night.
Fun was had by all, and the countdown for another great Oktoberfest has already begun!
