At exactly 14:28 remaining in the second period of the Quinnipiac vs. Yale game this past Friday, the Student Programming Board (SPB) made the announcement everyone was waiting for. The Jumbotron lit up and for a mere couple of seconds, High Point Solutions Arena had its mind elsewhere than beating the Bulldogs.
Nick Sczerbinski, assistant director of marketing and fan engagement, was deep into the student section when his mic suddenly went on and he asked a nearby student who she thought would be the artist for the Wake the Giant, SPB’s spring concert. Out of three choices, one being the famed Calvin Harris, the fan chose Tiesto, an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ.
Sczerbinski drew the crowds attention to the jumbotron for the official announcement, heightening the already tense environment. The upbeat sounds of EDM played over the speakers as SPB’s promo video for the artist played, dragging the anticipation along even more so. After a brutal couple of seconds of anticipation the word “Tiesto” in all caps flashed across the screen and the rink exploded in excitement.
Known as the “Greatest DJ of All Time,” as announced in a MixMag poll, Tiesto is a stand-out figure in the EDM world, with records such as Red Light and Wasted. His pumped up tunes are iconic to the genre that are reminiscent of a typical Quinnipiac students Saturday night soundtrack. While he may be a prominent artist, Tiesto is no A-lister such as previously mentioned and competing DJ Calvin Harris.
Tiffany Deltoro, an attendee of the Yale game, had never before heard of the name but liked SPB’s choice to go with EDM, a genre that has never before graced the spring concert stage.
A tweet by Quinnipiac sophomore Hannah Cotter stated, “What’s a tiesto?” immediately following the reveal, seemingly capturing much of the student body’s confusion on the identity of the chosen artist.
“I don’t really know many of his songs, but I’m sure if I heard it I would recognize it and think it’s pretty cool,” Cynthia Clement said, echoing the similar response that Deltoro had toward the artist.
“I’m excited… I know a lot of people like that genre because it’s fun dance music so I think it’ll be good,” Clement said.
One of those lovers of the genre is Freshman Kevin Sparke.
“I loved (the reveal), I like dance music,” Sparke said, stating that he had no idea it would be Tiesto, but that 100 percent he wanted to attend the concert.
Wake the Giant 2017 is set to go off Friday, April 7 in the TD Bank Sports Center on York Hill. SPB was also proud to announce in a press release that Quinnipiac was the only university chosen to be visited by Tiesto in the 2016-2017 academic year.
At exactly 10 p.m. on March 5, undergraduate students will receive an email with the link to purchase the concert tickets. While many doubt that it will be the same hype as the Feb. 19 Yale ticket swamp, hopeful attendees cannot be lax if they wish to see the DJ. Floor tickets will cost $25 and seat tickets will be $20, and due to SPB’s wish to “provide as many members of the Quinnipiac community an opportunity to participate,” ticket purchase will be limited to one per student.
With hopes high for the Spring concert, Tiesto is pressured to not disappoint. With former performer Fetty Wap only being on stage for roughly 20 minutes in last year’s Wake the Giant concert, Quinnipiac students are looking to the EDM DJ to keep their “rave crazy” spirits alive and leave the rest of their semester on a high note.
