On Friday, Don Toliver lit up the Coliseum stage for USC’s annual Springfest concert. The rapper played his biggest hits like “No Pole.”
The event was entirely student-run by the USC Concerts Committee. The show was the club’s biggest of the year, and some say maybe even of all time. The festival usually takes place on campus, but returned to the coliseum to accommodate the huge crowd, who went crazy for “TORE UP.”
The hip hop hottie has amassed over 34 million monthly listeners on Spotify and has collaborated with stars like SZA, Travis Scott, and his partner, Kali Uchis.
Tickets for the event became quite the hot commodity. The initial wave sold out within minutes and crashed the EngageSC system, but more tickets became available in the days leading up to the concert.
The lineup also included smaller local performers like The Band Friday, Small Talk, and Michele Lu. Lyn Lapid warmed up the crowd before the “bandit” took the Torch stage.
Shayan Biswa, a freshman studying human biology, attempted to get tickets a few times before locking in a spot.
“Don Toliver was definitely a much better performer than I ever could have thought. The crowd was really good. The mosh pits were lots of fun,” Biswa said. “Elbows are flying, people are pushing each other around, but I think that’s the fun of it.”
Vrishti Patel, a junior studying music industry and assistant director of the club, said the committee was prepared for the crazy crowd.
“We get updated scan counts of who’s at the venue, like number-wise. I know there were a lot of safety concerns about crowd crush. The show stopped for a bit. We had our ‘take three steps back’ on our video wall. We always have that at every show to make sure that everyone is safe,” Patel said.
She noted that Toliver helped manage the crowd during his performance.
“I mean, he’s played Rolling Loud and all of these really big festivals, so he’s aware of making sure that everyone is safe. He even has a safety clause in his rider that we have to fulfill,” Patel said.
The event was a success for Don Toliver, the Concerts Committee, and USC students alike. With Coachella and other summer music festivals on the horizon, crowd safety and proper planning are key. Springfest 2025 was a helpful reminder: make meeting spots, drink plenty of water, and most importantly, have fun.
Who will the concerts committee secure next year? If I had it my way, Toliver would come back. This time, to watch his partner, Kali Uchis, headlining the fest.