One of UCI’s most anticipated events of the year is its annual Summerlands concert, featuring various well-known talents and giving a space for smaller artists to shine as well. This Spring quarter concert allows its undergraduate students a chance to let loose, jam out to music, and briefly forget about exam stress in one night of unity, games, and tunes with their fellow peers. Not to mention the… unforgettable experience of lining up in Aldrich park for hours on end for a chance to score free merch, as well as admission into the event (as there is limited capacity). Luckily, UCI student DJ Matt helped to excite and hype up the crowd with songs ranging from Pitbull party anthems to rocking Mitski ballads.
This year’s Summerlands concert featured an indie and R&B lineup of opening artist thuy, midliner Peach Tree Rascals, and headlining act Wallows. After last year’s cancellation of the Summerlands festival, UCI students were eager and ecstatic at this chance to see these artists that were familiar to many students–most notably the indie kids who have been itching for an indie performer to take the stage– and this lineup did not disappoint.
Beginning with thuy, she greeted the buzzing student crowd with her R&B pop beats and angelic vocals, instantly ramping up the energy while also creating a chill atmosphere with romantic vibes. She sang some hits such as “vapor rub” and “trippin’” and called for all those who have been heartbroken or in toxic relationships to raise their hands in solidarity with one another. She made sure to include the couples in healthy relationships as well, playing some slow songs for them to dance to and creating a chill and romantic ambience with her soothing vocals and sound. Her relatability with the audience was a strong suit, as many resonated with the afflictions she wrote about, whether negative or positive. She also shared her story of moving to Los Angeles and quitting her medical job to pursue music, an encouraging and all too real story that resonated with many other Asian Americans among the crowd. thuy ended her set with her hit song “girls like me don’t cry” and called for the audience to have a good cry every now and then, especially those who aren’t always comfortable showing their emotions. With her uplifting attitude and empathetic engagement, it is no surprise why so many students were clamoring for thuy— she is well on her way to stardom, all the while keeping it real and true to herself.
Photo Credit: Katherine Llave
Next up, we have the midliner: indie group Peach Tree Rascals. This band’s name immediately made sense once they began to perform onstage– with their rowdy, “rascal-like” chaotic energy, they all let the audience know that they were just there to have a good time. One member, Tarrek Abdel-Khaliq, removed his shirt and threw it onto the crowd, the band splashed their water bottles onto the spectators, coordinated and carried out two different waves, and they got the crowd of students to sing happy birthday (after trying to come up with all the possible names to sing out, they landed on our mascot, Peter the Anteater). Their songs were a mix of indie pop and rap— with upbeat instrumentals and plenty of interactive moments. During their song, “Let U Go” they had the girls in the audience say “yeah?” while the boys had to bark (“WOOF”) which the students followed wholeheartedly. Their final song was “Mariposa,” which many students were very familiar with and yelled every lyric to– clearly this was the moment they had been waiting for. It was plain to see throughout their performance that Peach Tree Rascals was living for the vibes, and they not only received them, but they poured out this energy back onto the crowd tenfold.
Finally, at around 8pm, the main event arrived: Wallows.
By this time, the crowd in Aldrich park had gotten to a more substantial size than it had been for either of the two previous acts. A crowd of students rushed towards the fence from outside the event when they heard news that Wallows had arrived, and the band was being cheered on before they even reached the stage. When the lights finally came on again and the band appeared, the atmosphere was transformed into something else entirely: the energy of the students had reached its peak with this performance after hearing Wallows’ energetic, nostalgic sound. Beginning with “I Don’t Want to Talk” and following it up with other hits like “Pleaser” and “Scrawny,” Wallows delivered an outstanding, feel-good performance that demonstrated the reasons for their far-reaching popularity. The students went wild, jumping around and dancing for many songs, or waving their hands or phone flashlights for others. In one hilariously memorable moment, Dylan Minnette asked what the school chant was, to which the students all barraged the band with “Zot, zot, zot!” multiple times with the anteater hand gesture.
He and Braedan Lemasters thought it was “Ta, ta, ta”... nevertheless, the band stated that our school’s mascot was one of the coolest ones they had seen by far, and they treated us to several ant-related puns. Notably, there seemed to be less commentary between tracks compared with the earlier acts but this may have been due to the set end time of 9:00PM, which the band adhered to accordingly. The final song, “Are You Bored Yet?” originally featuring Clairo, was full of enthusiastic listeners and singers, who gladly filled in the words to Clairo’s part, having the words imprinted in their minds likely from years of familiarity with the viral hit.
The three acts of the night–thuy, Peach Tree Rascals, and Wallows–were certainly a warm and welcome surprise to the students who were attending either their first Summerlands or their last— as the last Summerlands had been in 2019. Although the entire day had been overcast, and Wallows’ performance saw slight sprinkles every now and then, this weather was no match for the spirit of the UCI students, not to mention ASUCI’s determination to put on a good show. Despite some slight drawbacks, such as ambiguity in the bag policy and having one main food vendor, Summerlands 2023 was a hit for many students, and hopefully we won’t have to wait another four years for the next one.
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