Jack Johnson, G. Love and ALO performed at a free Student Programming Association sponsored concert for Rock the Vote at the Eisenhower auditorium last night.
Derek Mikesell (senior-mathematics), member of SPA, said they were just shy of selling out the 2,000 seats at Eisenhower and people were still trickling in when the concert started at 7 pm.
The concert began with six songs by ALO, a funk-esque band from California, performing to instant claps from the crowd.
Cara Wallace (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) got her ticket for the event last minute but was glad she did.
“It was my first time seeing ALO perform and I liked the song ‘Girl I Wanna Lay You Down’ the best, I have it downloaded,” Wallace said.
ALO also successfully executed the “We Are” chant and performed their new single, “Storms and Hurricanes” and ended their set with an standing ovation.
After a quick stage reset, Philadelphia native, G. Love performed songs like “Booty Call’ while showcasing his harmonica skills.
G. Love seemed to be the artist out of all the performers who really emphasized and urged students in the audience to vote, which was the main reason the performers were at Penn State.
“Go out and vote, that’s why we are here today,” G. Love said, “whatever you wanna do just make up your mind and vote.’
Rock the Vote, a non-partisan voter advocacy group, spent the earlier portion of the day getting students to register at the tents in front of Eisenhower.
Students were able to get free gear, check out the inside of the Rock the Vote RV, and take various pictures and videos about their choice for the upcoming election.
At the concert the audience experienced sufficient foot tapping and singing along well before welcoming Jack Johnson on stage with several screams.
Just a simple, “How you guys doing?’ from a graphic T-shirt and worn-in denim clad Johnson was enough to get the crowd wild and out of their seats.
Johnson started out his set with ‘Good People” with his acoustic guitar accompanied by a pianist, drummer and bassist.
Everyone was singing along and all of Eisenhower auditorium seemed to be enjoying a laid-back and peaceful moment.
“Thanks for standing in line today guys, I’m really happy to be here,” Johnson said.
The lines for tickets began around 9 a.m., 3 hours before they were even to go on sale, and extended from the Eisenhower box office all the way past the Thomas building.
Stories from Johnson’s days as a UC Santa Barbara student were reminisced upon and also shared on stage along with other personal anecdotes.
Johnson crooned other hits like “Flake” and “Never Know” without a hiccup, even with students constantly shouting ‘I love you Jack!’ from the audience.
