Through hazy blue spotlights and the buzz of electric guitars, a sea of Michigan State University students and community packed the Breslin Student Events Center Thursday night for the annual spring concert.
Local opener Final Boss Fight! came out with a bang. Nearly a reflection of their audience, the college-aged trio sported T-shirts and tennis shoes along with brightly colored guitars and basses. They greeted their audience with a “What the F– is up Breslin?” to get the show on the road.
They did not hide their excitement as they jumped and banged their heads in between guitar strums. Shifting strobe lights illuminated students on the floor and in the seats, bobbing their heads and moshing. With a Midwest emo influence, the Lansing-based band packed an emotional punch. The Final Boss’ final song, "Shorts," an angry breakup anthem, had the entire pit jumping up and down, moshing, spinning and even hugging.
Holding a similar style to the headliner, this act attracted new Maroney fans, such as journalism freshman Lia Mamish.
“One thing I loved the most was getting to discover new artists like the first local band from Lansing,” Mamish said. “I'm a huge fan of rock music, so this is right up my alley in terms of genre and style. I really, really like them. I also like that they're a local band, I think that makes it even cooler.”
Challenging the other boss band, the second opener, Flyana Boss, had a more theatrical approach. They began speaking to the crowd and playing music while hidden from the audience. Seemingly out of nowhere, the hip-hop duo leaped onto the stage, strutting and twerking. One half of the best friendship, Bobbi LaNea Tyler, hails from Michigan and made herself right at home in the Breslin, alongside her counterpart Folayan Omi Kunerede from Texas.
The pair’s friendship was a focal point in their performance as they often referred to each other as “best friends” and noted their friendship before singing their TikTok hit, “You Wish.” For the final whistle of the battle of the boss bands, Flayana Boss sang along to Queen’s "Bohemian Rhapsody" turned hip-hop remix, where LaNea Tyler dropped into the splits for an air guitar solo.
National communications coordinator for the Residence Halls Association and psychology sophomore Theodore Reedy Beard described himself as a “really huge fan” of Flyana Boss. Involved with tabling as a part of RHA, Reedy Beard helped to pass out free merch for the headliner before the show, including stickers, tote bags, T-shirts and bandanas. After working, Reedy Beard got to join the party.
“We all have floor tickets, so we'll be on the floor, having fun with everybody else,” Reedy Beard said. “I’m stoked, I'm really excited. I think it's been a great opportunity. I like getting involved, and I can't wait for next year's concert too.”
A completely different feel than the other two acts, Flayana Boss also gained fresh fans from their energetic and engaging performance, such as psychology freshman Ami Brima, who said she would “100%” listen to them again and attempted to find their merch at the venue.
“They were really amazing,” Brima said. “They were really good at getting everyone hyped up and even interacting with the crowd. They also played their most popular song, which got everyone hype towards the end. Honestly, I lost my voice. So I think that's proof of how great they were; they were phenomenal.”
After hours of waiting, barricade fans graphic design freshman Amollia Raske and five-year fan of Maroney and kinesiology sophomore Willa Taylor finally got to see what they came for. As winners of the meet and greet, Raske and Taylor got to meet the artists, take pictures and watch Maroney’s interview with IMPACT 89FM.
“It was really nice to meet him, it was almost surreal to meet somebody that I've been a fan of for so long,” Taylor said. “I started finding his music at a more difficult time of my life. It was just a lot of transitioning, stuff going on, and I really was able to connect to a lot of his music because it has a lot of emotion behind it. One of my favorite songs is 'June,' and I'm a big fan of all of his music.”
For her first time at barricade for a concert, Raske got to be up close and personal with Maroney for a second time that day.
“When we met them, they were genuinely so nice,” Raske said. “Like a lot of people, 'Freakin’ Out On The Interstate' was [my] first introduction. And then I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I really like this.’ So then I found more and more. I really liked the album Indiana, and my favorite song is probably 'Caroline.' So I'm very excited for that.”
As anticipation was at its height, Maroney ran onto the stage with a bright red Stratocaster slung around his back and a beanie containing his signature long curls. In boughs of dancing and emphatic playing, Maroney’s beanie came on and off throughout the performance.
Another rotating feature of the show was Maroney’s moving carousel of guitars. He may have started off with the red Stratocaster, but he shifted between that, a decorated white telecaster and an electric acoustic.
His varying musical styles held fans in limbo while they swayed and held up their flashlights for some songs, such as “Freakin’ Out On The Interstate” and moshed for others, such as “Under My Skin.”
At one point, students chanted “Go Green Go White” at Maroney. Although he was originally unfamiliar, the crowd taught him to lead the chant, which he said was “tight,” and he described it as “passionate and eco-friendly.”
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Live music can be hard to come by when students live on campus. But for one night a year, they are offered three artists on a silver platter.
An accessible venue location and low ticket prices made opportunity for students like medical lab science senior Audrey White to attend her first ever concert. White was joined by her friend, kinesiology senior Kate Beckerman, who first told her about the event.
“I feel like it's just an affordable way to have fun with my friends and just be part of the MSU community,” Beckerman said. “It's cool being in the Breslin for something that's not sporting or graduation related because I'm always here for basketball, but it's just such a different environment when it's not sports. This is probably the fastest I've ever gotten into the Breslin in my life. I'm used to standing outside for, like, two or three hours before getting in here. So it's cool to not even be outside for five minutes.”
For fans hoping to get closer to Maroney, some even waited an hour before doors opened at 7 p.m., like communications freshman Marianne Castro.
“I love Briston Maroney, I'm really into like indie-rock,” Castro said. “I was so excited to have somebody that I actually knew come to East Lanting, like what are the odds of that? So I booked those tickets as soon as possible. It was amazing because we got like right in front of [Maroney.] The energy in the pit was amazing too, since everybody knew the lyrics. Everybody was just as hyped as us. It was honestly an incredible experience.”
