“Take that shirt off, put that cowboy hat on and do some damn body rolls,” first-year history major Jordan Fulton said.
For anyone familiar with The Driver Era, it’s not an outrageous request. The sibling duo, Ross and Rocky Lynch, are known for their dynamic live shows and charismatic stage presence. That kind of high-energy performance is exactly what Quinnipiac can expect at this year’s Wake the Giant performance.
Quinnipiac University’s Student Programming Board hosted its highly anticipated Wake the Giant artist announcement April 1 in the SITE Auditorium, where students gathered with laptops open, ready to buy tickets, buzzing with anticipation.
At 12:50 p.m., after the final seconds ticked down, The Driver Era was revealed to be this year’s performer, set to take the stage at M&T Bank Arena April 26, promoting an immediate wave of excitement from the crowd.
In the weeks leading up to the reveal, SPB built anticipation by posting rounds of hints and potential headlines via Instagram each Tuesday. Artists like Louis Tomlinson, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Ava Max and All American Rejects were some of the speculated names.
“I think it’s hard for schools to gear towards everybody, but they do have a good mix of potential headliners that appeals to all different people and their music taste,” first-year accounting major Noelle Widmer said. “I think most people are rooting for Louis Tomlinson because of his time in One Direction and Ross Lynch because of his Disney Channel background.”
While many students held out hope for Tomlinson and a nostalgic tie to the boy band One Direction, the announcement of The Driver Era quickly matched the hype, especially with Ross Lynch set to take the stage.
“I know more about [The Driver Era], like I know Ross Lynch from “Austin and Ally,” of course, and I’ve heard some of their songs. I just love them overall,” sophomore nursing major Alexandria Puccia said.
Even if you’ve never heard of The Driver Era before, chances are you are familiar with Ross Lynch. Growing up in the 2000s, he was a staple on Disney Channel, best known for his lead role as Austin in “Austin and Ally,” as well as Brady in “Teen Beach Movie.”
“I didn’t know who The Driver Era was until I saw a TikTok of them and I was like ‘oh, it’s Ross Lynch’,” sophomore occupational therapy major Madeline O’Farrell said.
Transitioning from such a distinct Disney Channel identity can be challenging for artists to redefine themselves.
“I’ve seen a lot of other Disney Channel artists try and break out of their stereotype. I feel like with him it’s been a lot of time passed so he’s been able to break out of that a little bit but it’s definitely a challenge for others,” sophomore health science major Jennifer Bloom said.
While Ross Lynch is still closely associated with his Disney past, his performance with his brother, Rocky, shows how The Driver Era is carving its own space in the music industry, especially through their live performances.
“I mean it’s Ross Lynch, when he performs he takes his shirt off, and I think a lot of people will really like that,” Widmer said. “This was picked well for the age demographic here at a college, and I think a lot of people will enjoy that performance.”
That reputation of high-energy, anything can happen performance — shirts off, cowboy hats on and nonstop movement — makes the duo a natural fit for a college concert environment.
The Driver Era has built a steady following through its genre-blending sound, mixing elements of alternative rock, pop and electronic music. Since forming in 2018, the duo has built a fan base that spans long-time fans and new listeners with 1.5 million followers on Instagram and 724.6 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify.
That balance between nostalgia and current relevance is exactly what makes a Wake the Giant headliner successful, and it’s something SPB carefully considered throughout the selection process.
Behind the scenes, months of planning, artist research and student input plays a role in making the annual concert a reality.
“Planning does start in the fall, pretty much after Fall Fest, we’re thinking about Wake the Giant and trying to strategize how we’re going to collect feedback and what we’re looking at in terms of artists,” main stage chair Amanda Geraci said.
A major part of the process involves gathering input directly from students to ensure the lineup reflects campus-wide interests.
“We sent out surveys to the entire campus and everyone was able to rank their preferred genre and based on the data we received, which was over 1,000 submissions, and overwhelmingly the top genre was pop,” Geraci said.
However, turning those preferences into a confirmed headliner is far from simple.
“This seems very cut and dry from the outside but there is so much behind the scenes work,” Geraci said. “An artist could announce a tour on the spot which completely foils our plan, or they may be out of our budget range or they don’t want to play colleges. So there’s a lot of back and forth that goes on before we can officially say we have a headliner.”
Thanks to the planning and dedication from SPB, it’s certain that The Driver Era will check all the boxes for a successful Wake the Giant performance. And if that wasn’t enough, students should keep an eye out for the opener performance announcement in the coming weeks on SPB’s Instagram, @quspb.
Tickets will remain on sale April 1 for undergraduate students and 3+1 students in their +1 year, with sales opening April 2 for graduate students, provided there are any left.
