On Sept. 6, Bryce Jordan Center opened its doors for 15000 excited people, ready to watch the American rapper and singer Lil Yachty & Friends perform. With special guests for the night being NLE Choppa, Chow Lee and Ji Lee, spectators were ready to sing all night long, experiencing a needed break from the start of the school year, to be able to relive the summer fun and freedom.
Miles Park McCollum, better known by his stage name, Lil Yachty, currently is ranked #435 on Spotify for most listened singers, with nearly 18 million monthly listeners. His career started in 2015 when he was just 18 years old, and once his song “One Night” became viral he secured himself a future in the music industry. Since then, he has written six studio albums, and four of them reached the top 20 of the Billboard 200, with his album “Lil Boat 2” being his highest-ranked one, at number two.
His last album, titled “Bad Cameo,” was released earlier this year, leading to the concert that took place in State College.
The price for concert tickets ranged anywhere from $49 to $89.50, but was it worth it? Some State High students weren’t willing to take chances.
State High junior Hadley Milhomme seized the opportunity to go when she received tickets as a birthday present in the beginning of July, despite not being a big fan herself.
“We were in the pit, so it was intense. But I’m always down to, like, dance with other people, and, you know, have a good time, but some people push and shove, and it gets a little intense, but it was still really fun!” Milhomme said.
Senior Annie Lamotta also had floor seats with her friends.
“We were on the floor, and it was very crowded. It was very hot,” Lamotta said. “Lots of water bottles being thrown everywhere.”
Someone must have thought that the stage was hot too, because a water bottle was thrown at Lil Yachty mid-concert, causing him to leave the stage.
The “& friends” part of the concert was greatly appreciated too, with NLE Choppa being the first artist to take the stage, with a set that lasted about an hour.
Milhomme even said that NLE Choppa was her favorite part of the concert, and while Lamotta was only able to stay for his set due to an upcoming volleyball tournament the following day, she shared that even if she wasn’t able to see the full concert, the $49 ticket price was a fair one.
“ …I just thought it was such a fun experience, and that we have the Bryce Jordan Center so close to us,” Lamotta said. “Yeah, they got such a good opportunity for, say high school kids, or even Penn State students to be able to go to a concert like this.”
State College fans were certainly thankful for Bryce Jordan Center when it gave them a chance to attend a fun, carefree concert, providing a break from the new school year — hopefully, the first of many concerts to come.
