USC Welcome Back Concert gets lukewarm reception


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Image of AG Club, a Bay Area based R&B group, on stage at McCarthy Quad.
AG Club, a Bay Area-based R&B group, headlined the event and performed an hour-long set of songs for students who flocked to McCarthy Quad for the event. (Talha Rafique | Daily Trojan)

As the sun went down and lights turned on, a crowd of new and returning students waited in line outside McCarthy Quad. Food trucks drew people in with promising smells of good foods and a bridge of blue and green lights became the center of attention for students wanting to document their time in photos. As the DJ’s music blasted across McCarthy Quad, the night began. But the hype of the crowd did not last as the night went on.

After more than a year in lockdown, welcome week was jam-packed with events every night including an in-person karaoke night, prom event and movie night. The week finally came to an end with the Welcome Back Concert put on by the USC Concerts Committee Saturday. With the doors opening at 6:30 p.m. just outside Leavey Library, the line extended past alumni park with a significantly large crowd at the event.

Leading up to the event,  the Concerts Committee released the lineup, leaving the reveal of the headliner AG Club until the day before the event. Alternative artist, Jelani Aryeh opened the night at 8 p.m. with his well-known song “Marigold.”  

Around 8:45 p.m., the crowd made its way across the lawn to the stage, dancing and waiting for Audrey Nuna to take the stage. Colorful lights matched Nuna’s set that included soulful, R&B, alternative and rap components, creating an overall exciting performance as people in the crowd swayed back and forth with her music. 

The crowd momentarily dispersed before the anticipated headlining R&B group AG Club went on at 10 p.m. 

With an almost hour-long set, AG Club struggled to keep students entertained. The crowd began to dwindle after just a few songs and by 10:40 p.m. it was about half as big as when the event started.

In spite of AG Club’s upbeat songs, their onstage charisma and the hype leading up to the night, it was hard to ignore how the reception of both Audrey Nuna and AG Club affected the overall success of the night.  

Audrey Nuna’s sound, reminiscent of Billie Eilish and Lorde, may have been a miss for some, but her lyricism and energy were great to vibe to. After being hyped up by the DJ’s selection of Kanye West and Olivia Rodrigo songs, the anticipation of the headliners, AG Club, could be felt all around. The anticipation unfortunately was not long-lived. In between songs, the artists began to mention how their previous crowds have outdone USC’s energy. By the end of the night, the boys of AG Club switched their tone, instead joking about the energy of the crowd being “the best,” even though that was a far cry from reality. 

Although the crowd walked away with possible new favorite artists, like Audrey Nuna, the overall night did not go as expected or live up to the hype leading up to the event. The Concerts Committee has done a great job of finding artists, promoting events and even finding sponsors like PopPay for food trucks and vendors for the event; yet, there is still room to grow in regards to finding artists that will keep the crowd engaged and match the crowds’ energy.

Correction: This article was updated to reflect Jelani Aryeh’s pronouns as he/him, correct the spelling of his name and correct the day the headliner was announced. The Daily Trojan regrets these errors.