On April 12, rapper Waka Flocka Flame performed a student-only concert at the SteelStacks. The event was University Productions’ spring concert, organized with the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, and provided bus service to students for transportation to the venue.
The concert opened with a set by DJ Bonics, rapper Wiz Khalifa’s DJ, who played popular rap songs to get the crowd excited. Students huddled together, dancing from start to finish as they eagerly awaited Waka Flocka Flame’s performance.
Waka Flocka Flame came on stage with high energy and dancing. He made sure to interact with the audience throughout the concert, coming off stage and into the crowd, dancing and taking selfies with students and cracking jokes in between songs.
During the set, the microphone and lights powered off at two separate times. At those moments, Waka Flocka Flame continued to talk to and take pictures with students as the crowd chanted his name.
He ended the performance with his most popular song, “No Hands,” as the audience jumped and rapped along with him.
The students involved in University Productions began planning the concert during the fall semester. They narrowed down their list of potential artists within their budget and ranked their top three choices before confirming available dates with artists. Other potential performers included rapper Sexyy Red and pop band Saint Motel.
Laila Dages, ‘26, a student in University Productions, said the organization chose ArtsQuest as the venue for several reasons. A professional venue, as opposed to a location on campus, helped with the preparation of the concert and offered a contained environment that is safer for students.
Dages, as well as other members of University Productions, had the opportunity to meet and interact with Waka Flocka Flame after the concert.
“He was extremely friendly and humble,” Dages said. “He took multiple pictures with us and acted like a normal person would.”
Olivia Werner, ‘25, is also a member of University Productions who helped in planning the concert. She said she was happy the event was a success in spite of obstacles the team had to overcome, including working around budget cuts while finding a popular artist for students to enjoy.
“Once we settled on a date and confirmed that Waka Flocka Flame was available, we immediately booked him,” Werner said. “He was so outgoing and interactive, taking selfies with everyone and enjoying the event.”
Caden DellaPenta, ‘27, attended the concert with his friends and said he appreciated that tickets were inexpensive and accessible. He said he purchased his tickets through a link posted on University Productions’ Instagram page.
While he said he was not a fan of Waka Flocka Flame before the concert and was only familiar with his song “No Hands,” DellaPenta said he had a great time dancing with his friends.
“It was amazing to see everyone’s energy in the room outside of an academic setting,” DellaPenta said. “Waka Flocka Flame definitely drew on that energy.”
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