Phantogram, Big Boi perform at Conquest rally


Students, faculty and alumni gathered in McCarthy Quad on Thursday night to attend Conquest, the university’s 11th annual rally and concert. The event was hosted by Program Board, Concerts Committee, the Office of Campus Activities and Trojan Pride.

Love the way he moves · Rapper and Outkast member Big Boi performs at the annual Conquest rally Thursday in McCarthy Quad.  - Kenneth Rodriguez-Clisham | Daily Trojan

Love the way he moves · Rapper and Outkast member Big Boi performs at the annual Conquest rally Thursday in McCarthy Quad. – Kenneth Rodriguez-Clisham | Daily Trojan

 

Conquest was created as a means of highlighting Trojan pride before the school’s rivalry game against UCLA. The event is aimed at gathering a variety of campus organizations to hold an all-encompassing event for the USC community.

Kirsten Lee, assistant director of Concerts Committee, said that though the process of preparing for the event was smooth, keeping the headliners a secret created some difficulties.

“I think our only difficulty was that we were not able to release the headliners as soon as we wanted to, and that is a big thing for us because there is nothing we can do. We try to expedite the process as much as possible but it is really a contractual thing between the legal teams with the artist and the university. We are kind of that middle man, we don’t have that power,” Lee said. “I think that is something that we are really trying to educate students on, because I think that they think it’s all us.”

Vendors included Nesquik, Kogi tacos, the Lime Truck, Waffles de Liege, Coolhaus, the Grilled Cheese Truck and the Boba Truck.

Monica Parra, former executive director of Program Board, hosted the event. Parra kicked off the rally by introducing various student organizations such as the Order of the Torch, which included brief introductions by members such as USG President Andrew Menard and USC Panhellenic President Katherine Grabar.

Following their introductions were the announcements for Mr. and Ms. USC Order of the Torch 2014-2015. Winners of the title were Chris Reimann and Ama Konadu Amoafo-Yeboah.

Parra also introduced Trojan Dance Force, Troy Tones, Concert Force and 13 different athletic teams on campus.

Midway through the student-athlete introductions, the generator for the stage lost power, but students quickly turned their attention to the Trojan Marching Band and Song Girls, who performed for more than an hour.

The rally ended with a guest appearance by the USC football team and a “burn-the-Bruin-bear” bonfire and fireworks spectacular by Doheny Memorial Library, sponsored by Trojan Pride.

Students rushed back to the stage to watch performances by headliners Phantogram and Big Boi.

Phantogram, an electronic, rock duo performed over an hour-long set, with crowd favorites such as “Blackout Days,” from their recent album Voices, and “Mouthful of Diamonds.”

The concert then took a shift in musical style with a performance by Big Boi, otherwise known as Antwan Andre Patton.

Big Boi, a member of recently reunited hip-hop duo, Outkast, stunned the crowd with his interactive music performance with Phantogram. Together, they performed a single from their recent EP “CPU.”

Ryan Hamilton, executive director of Concerts Committee, explained how Big Boi and Phantogram represent the unique variety of music taste among students.

“I think that these artists are ones that students really want to see and they attract a very diverse audience, because one is indie -alternative, kind of electronic and the other one [performer] is a hip-hop legend…It’s going to be a really special show, something that hasn’t ever been done for Conquest before. Both artists have never played a co-headlining show together,” Hamilton said.

Miranda Ferro, a junior majoring in psychology, was thrilled to see how the event brought a mixture of Trojan pride, entertainment and a variety of food options to campus.

“I really liked coming out to Conquest because it shows we have a lot of school spirit. I really liked going to all of the food trucks and experiencing the Ferris wheel,” Ferro said.

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