After two years of waiting, UCA students and community got to rock out with award-winning artists AJR and 24kGoldn in a concert hosted by the Student Activities Board April 6.

The concert was the first SAB has held since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

AJR, a popular indie-pop band composed of brothers Adam, Jack and Ryan Met, was originally supposed to play at UCA on April 19, 2020, with singer Jon Bellion. The concert was canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Almost two years later, AJR was invited back, this time to play with up-and-coming rapper and singer 24kGoldn.

Prior to the pandemic, SAB hosted a concert every spring.

The Student Activities Board had set their minds on bringing back AJR to UCA at the beginning of the school year since the band’s original concert had been canceled. 24kGoldn was a new addition to the lineup.

“We got an approved list of artists we could work with that were in our budget and we noticed that many of 24kGoldn’s songs were trending on TikTok,” Student Activities Board President Daisy Martinez said.

For an event as big as the first concert since the pandemic, SAB knew everything had to be perfect.

“Our supervisor has done this for years and we work with a professional agency to make sure everything runs smoothly,” Martinez said. 

“The concert was this executive board’s first time working a big event, so we made sure we planned ahead to make sure everything ran as smoothly as possible.” Martinez said. “We prepped dressing rooms and refreshments for the artists in advance, posted signage around the Farris center, and made sure everything was taken down after the event.”

The Student Activities Board originally had concerns about the concert’s attendance because the event was in the middle of the week on a Wednesday. The continued fear of COVID-19 was an additional concern. These fears were relieved at the concert, which had a full floor of people.

“We know that everyone enjoyed the concert as much as we did and we’re beyond happy to put this together for the students once again,” Martinez said.

Freshman Jacobi Bolden was in attendance.

“I always think it’s really good when bigger artists like AJR are able to come out and show some appreciation for their fans in smaller towns and universities,” Bolden said. “It’s really cool to see them pump a performance of this scale just for our campus.”

The Students Activities Board isn’t finished hosting events for the semester.

“Our last event will be one of UCA’s favorites, Canvas and Coffee, on April 21.” Martinez said.

Before Canvas and Coffee, the Student Activities Board will host a DIY word art event on April 14 where students can create their own letter art using kits with tools and letters.