Wearing our “apple bottom jeans and boots with the fur,” this past Friday night, Oct. 3, it was “going down for real.” Fairfield students went to Flo Rida’s “House” at the Hartford Amphitheater in Bridgeport. Stags from all different grades looked for where their “girls at” and danced in the exclusive pit. Despite being on campus the past few years, FUSA hosted the annual MainSTAGe concert at an off-campus location this year.
Fairfield students who attended the event were treated to complimentary chicken nuggets and french fries from Garden Catering while waiting for the buses, which took Fairfield students to and from the concert, to depart. Once the Stags arrived at the concert, there was a perfect photo-op in front of a Bridgeport wall mural with a Flo Rida decorative ticket.
The concert kicked off with Fairfield U’s very own DJ Tristan. He got the crowd hyped up and played mixes from modern pop to 2010s throwback songs. Senior Tristan DeCrescenzo shared, “This experience was truly like no other. Getting to do what I love on the big stage in front of all my peers as a senior is a feeling I wish to hold on to forever. Backstage, I had my own greenroom with my name printed on the door, with tons of snacks and a big TV. The best part was, I felt no ounce of nervousness, almost as if everything I’ve ever done in my DJ career had led up to that moment.”
DJ Tristan went on to express, “At 8:00 p.m. sharp, I walked onto that stage and put my everything into that set. The way I look at it, it was my love letter to music. No nerves, no sweat, no stress, just pure euphoria. I was able to meet Flo Rida and his backup vocalists briefly for some pictures and autographs. During his performance, I was able to stand on stage off to the side, securing the best seat in the house. I was also invited on stage by Flo Rida mid performance to sing “GDFR” with him, which was a complete surprise for me and something I will truly never forget being a part of. It was one the best nights in my entire life no doubt, and I cannot feel more blessed and grateful for that opportunity.”
Riding on that “good feeling,” Flo Rida finally took the stage around 9:30 p.m. He was introduced by his fellow IMG All Stars performing group, which includes singers Oya Baby, Varie and Int’l Nephew. Flo Rida emerged on stage in his classic silver chain, leather jacket and groovy sunglasses. He began with his iconic song “Low” which had the crowd going wild. Flo Rida talked to the crowd after his entrance and gave special recognition to Fairfield.
At the start of his performance, he tossed out roses into the audience and sprayed champagne into the pit. Flo Rida performed all of his old school songs such as “Club Can’t Handle Me,” “Wild Ones,” “Whistle,” “Right Round” and “GDFR.” The crowd buzzed when Flo Rida played his hit songs.
Sophomore Reegan Shea shared, “I thought Flo Rida was super cool. It brought many people from all different years together. As someone who has been to multiple concerts before but has never been in the pit, I thought it was unique to have lots of space to chat and dance with my friends.”
Flo Rida even brought Fairfield U students onto the stage. He first called up all the ladies to sing along and dance on stage. When he began another song, he asked if any Fairfield students were celebrating a birthday calling these individuals onto the stage. Flo Rida had a song just for the fellas where they went up on stage to perform alongside him. Flo Rida was generous in talking to Fairfield students on stage in between sets and even took multiple pictures with them.
The best part of Flo Rida being interactive with the crowd was when he came out into the pit more than once to perform closer to the concert-goers in the seats. This also gave the opportunity for people in the back of the pit to get a closer look at his performance. At this moment in the show, Flo Rida finally changed into a Fairfield basketball Jersey with #1 and his name on it. The other members of the IMG All Stars performing group were wearing Fairfield U merch.
The MainSTAGe Flo Rida concert was a fun night to spend time dancing and singing along to throwback songs with friends and peers. Students even got to support a fellow stag in his DJ career. FUSA’s decision to have the concert off-campus and not on Halloween weekend drew larger crowds. There were many entertaining moments throughout the night. Flo Rida was definitely a concert for the books!