The Undergraduate Student Government announced this evening Walk The Moon and Timeflies as the artists for 2015’s Back to the Brook at Island Federal Credit Union Arena on Thursday, Sept. 17.
Vice President of Communications Brody Hooper said he is excited about the variety of genres this concert will have to offer.
“I think this concert is cool,” Hooper said. “It is hitting a genre we haven’t really hit too much.”
Walk The Moon’s hit song “Shut Up and Dance,” from the album Talking Is Hard, is popular on the radio now and will get students dancing . Timeflies, whose third album will be released the day after Back to the Brook on Thursday, Sept. 18, will close the show.
Timeflies is known for its pop renditions of songs like “Wagon Wheel” by Darius Rucker and the hit single “I Choose U” from its album “After Hours.”
This year’s concert will feature opening acts from two different Stony Brook artists: R&B singer Justin Love and rock group In Loving Memory will each be performing a set earlier in the night.
In Loving Memory vocalist Naveed Stone described his band’s sound as “what would happen if pop and metal had a baby.”
“I get to bring to the table something a little different compared to previous Stony Brook concerts,” Stone said. “I think that is critically important for a campus with a student body as diverse as ours.”
USG widened its choice of performers this semester in an attempt to expand genres. Some artists in the pool of options included singer-songwriter George Ezra, singer of the hit “Budapest” and rapper Fetty Wap, known for his hit single “Trap Queen.”
The artists were unveiled to students in a new and innovative way implemented by USG. Wolfie revealed the first act, Walk The Moon, via his Snapchat and Instagram. Students had to follow the USG’s private Instagram account in order to reveal Timeflies as the opening act.
By using the hashtag #BTB2K15, participants will have the chance to have their pictures displayed on the big screen during the concert.
Unlike past fall concerts, USG will be giving away t-shirts, which is usually exclusive to spring concerts.
Hooper said that USG is working with the fire marshals to figure out ways to fit more fans on the floor without violating fire code regulations. According to Hooper, fire marshals are willing to increase the number of floor tickets after surveying the arena and safety exits based on attendance from the last concert.
Last year’s Lupe Fiasco concert was significantly later in the semester compared to this year’s concert. The earlier concert date is intended to keep the “back to school” energy up on campus as well as to get the student body pumped for the home football game that following Saturday.
“I am extremely excited for this concert because I know everyone has been looking forward to it all summer,” USG President Cole Lee said. “I hope that we can really provide a night of fun and excitement for everyone.”
Correction: Sunday, Aug. 30, 8:31 p.m.: A previous version of this article stated that Timeflies would be the headlining artist for this year’s Back to the Brook concert. It has been corrected to show that Timeflies will be the opening act.
