Editor's note: The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author.
As a queer woman of color, I did not feel as though the Oliver Anthony concert held on Oct. 25 in the Joan Perry Brock Center was a safe space for minority students. With this being one of the first major events held in JPB, this put a very sour taste in my mouth about the space as a whole.
This was not an event that I would have attended on my own, but I was there as a photographer for The Rotunda. Going into the event, I knew I’d be slightly uncomfortable due to the nature of the topics Oliver Anthony writes about in his songs. I never thought that I would have to be put in a position where I didn’t feel safe enough to stay for the whole concert. During this concert, there were people shouting slurs, being visibly drunk, and harassing other concertgoers.
When I got to the concert, I was immediately approached by an extreme right-wing audience member asking me if I was a member of the press and then asking me to report on her sign which read, “Write a song about big wigs and corporate pigs.” This immediately put me on edge, because this woman felt comfortable enough to come up to a student to push her beliefs. After this I was cautious of the people around me and did know what else people felt comfortable to do in this space.
After this, security prohibited me from being in the media pit even though I was given an all-access working pass to cover the concert and I fully believe that my experience for the rest of the concert would have been vastly different if I hadn’t been confined to the audience pit.
When the concert started, I was approached by a man who appeared to be in his 50s who was already visibly drunk and carrying two more beers in his hands. As he finished one beer, he approached me and grabbed my arm and attempted to flirt with me. I was very uncomfortable by this interaction but I tried to keep myself together because we hadn’t even gotten through the opening act yet. Eventually the man backed off and I continued to work the concert.
About halfway through the concert, the man was seen blowing vape in people’s faces after being asked to stop by multiple audience members. While this was going on, Oliver Anthony was giving a monologue about how he felt as though the government was not for the American people and they are pushing false narratives on to the American people. This lead to the same man in the crowd shouting, “Yeah, it’s those f*ggots,” in response to Oliver Anthony. This was my breaking point for this concert. I stayed for the next song, then I had to make my way out of the building.
This experience overall was not something I ever expected to experience on Longwood’s campus, much less in the building that President Reveley called the “heartbeat of campus.” If these kinds of events are what the “heartbeat of campus” holds, I’m nervous to see what else JPB has to offer.
