Students danced the night away at the high energy Spring Jam concert, put on by the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) in Convocation Mall last week.
People gathered on the night of Friday, March 20 to celebrate the spring semester coming to a close. The concert was officially slated to begin at 5 p.m., but did not commence until 6 p.m. and lasted until 10 p.m.
Before the event began, SFSS VP Student Services and concert lead Zied Masmoudi spoke to The Peak. “I think this is one of the best lineups we’ve ever had,” he stated. “I am really proud that we managed to get this lineup of international artists.
“Compared to the previous Fall Kickoff, we have increased the budget for production and for the artists,” continued Masmoudi. He stated the goal was to keep the budget for production high and ticket prices lower, and most students purchased $20 and $30 tickets.
Around 300 tickets were allocated towards clubs and DSUs. Masmoudi added that “attendance was great and Convo Mall was packed. It was amazing!”
The event kicked off with local indie rock band, Derrival, performing in the early hours of the evening. One of the band members, Deven Azevedo, is also a student and the undergraduate representative on the SFU Board of Governors.
Derrival entertained a modest crowd earlier in the evening, and treated them to their own cover of the Men Without Hats classic “The Safety Dance.”
They were followed by EDM artist LUVLYF, who had previously performed at the 2014 Fall Kickoff and judged the DJ contest for the same event.
Although the event began in cold and rainy weather, students seemed to be having fun and remaining optimistic. Second-year SFU student Damon Huang stated, “I’m feeling good, it’s kind of cold outside.” The cold proved to be no deterrent, however, and the night went on. Second-year student Krystal Wong commented, “It’s a pretty good concert so far.”
After LUVLYF performed, Masmoudi came on stage to thank the volunteers who had participated and announced how happy he was about how the event had turned out.
Afterwards, Australian DJs Stafford Brothers brought their beats, along with their signature inflatable kangaroo. They were followed by headlining act, the house duo, Cash Cash, who brought the crowd to an all-time high with their hit song “Take Me Home.”
SFU Security encountered no major security issues and were pleased with how the event proceeded.
The afterparty for Spring Jam was held at the Highland Pub from 10 p.m. to 1 p.m. Performances from artists, all of whom were SFU students, included Nu Be, the DJ, Drake, and DJ Amorous.
As the night came to a close, Sajjid Lakhani, second-year SFU student and previous Spring Sendoff DJ commented, “Spring Jam was turned the fuck up.”
