This Friday, USC students and their guests will gather at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to see rapper Don Toliver and singer-songwriter Lyn Lapid as part of Springfest. The entire production is organized by undergraduates at the USC Concerts Committee.
The committee, a student organization within the Undergraduate Student Government, plans and executes some of the largest live music events of the school year, including the Welcome Back Concert, Conquest and Springfest.
In the past, the committee has brought some of music’s biggest names to the McCarthy Quad and beyond, most notably, Katy Perry, Dominic Fike and Flo Mili.
For the first time, the upcoming show will be held on the field at the Coliseum across the street from campus, home to the USC football team.
Kaylie Wu, a sophomore majoring in music industry, serves as the co-director of hospitality at USC Concerts. She and her co-director are responsible for taking care of the artists they bring to campus, such as making sure they have all they need backstage in their green room.
According to Wu, the goal of the committee is to make live music directly accessible to the USC community.
“Concert ticket prices can be insanely unreasonable these days, and giving students the opportunity to see certain artists for free on campus is what I think makes the committee extra special,” Wu said.
Additionally, USC Concerts seeks to prepare their members for a career in the music and entertainment industries.
“Everything that the concerts committee does mirrors exactly how live music events are organized in the real world, and I know that’s the exact scene a lot of us hope to work in once we graduate,” she said.
The committee is led by co-executive directors Madi Ingrassia and Anish Lahorani with their assistant director Vrishti Patel. They are responsible for connecting directly with agencies and booking performers, as well as managing a budget that must cover the artist’s costs and production expenses.
“This was honestly a super Hail Mary offer for us. We go through lots of offers for different artists, and at first [Don Toliver] was kind of unattainable for us in terms of budget, but we put together something and made it happen,” Ingrassia said. “Luckily for us, the timing worked out, and we were able to negotiate with the agencies and make it happen. We still remember that phone call where he was confirmed to come and just how happy and excited we all were.”
Freshman Omeed Nowroozi, a music industry student and a member of the USC Concerts media committee, said that USC, being a recognized school in Los Angeles, is a reason why artists want to perform on campus.
“USC just is kind of a place that a lot of these artists think that they would be a good fit at,” Nowroozi said. “Don Toliver has a massive fan base here. There’s a lot of people in L.A. especially, who like his music. I think that’s something that appeals to artists.”
To attend Friday night’s Springfest, students have to register for tickets on EngageSC. The deadline to register a guest is Wednesday at 5 p.m. and students with reservations must arrive at the Coliseum by 8 p.m. for guaranteed entry. However, Ingrassia advised students to get to Springfest even earlier for the full experience.
“Get there as early as you can. Besides the music, besides just Don Toliver, we have three student acts at the show. Music will start at 5:30 p.m. so you’ll have music all day. We will have a beer garden there for students that are 21 and up, which is really exciting.” Ingrassia said. “There will be several food trucks, a couple experience activations and photo ops too.