If the name “JoJo” brings you back to your middle school days when you’d blast “Too Little, Too Late” and dedicate the song to your crush, you probably found yourself on the quad Monday night for JoJo’s Mad Love concert.
And if you didn’t, you seriously missed out because JoJo and ISU’s University Program Board put on an amazing show for this year’s Springfest – and it was free, a.k.a. every college student’s dream.
The show kicked off at 8 p.m. with a performance by Stanaj, a 22 year-old from New York with an impressive vocal range and infectious energy. Most of the crowd had never heard of him, but after his opening act, it’s safe to say he made some new fans.
By 9 p.m., the crowd had gone from a couple hundred people at most to a quad so full you could barely move. At its largest, the crowd extended across the quad all the way to DeGarmo Hall.
But it was all worth it when JoJo herself came on stage and all of us had that moment where you see a celebrity in real life and can’t wrap your mind around the fact that they’re real and in front of you.
The concert was mostly songs from JoJo’s third studio album Mad Love but featured some major throwbacks, including “Get Out” and everyone’s favorite, “Too Little Too Late.”
JoJo sang the latter unplugged so the crowd could sing along, and it’s safe to say pretty much everyone on that quad was reliving their childhood in those few minutes.
JoJo’s newer songs cover topics that are all too relatable to college students, including self-love, the importance of friendships, relationships, and knowing your worth. JoJo is all about that girl power.
JoJo further proved just how amazing she is when she gave an individual shout-out to each member of her team: backup vocalists Keisha Renee and Kene Alexander, lead guitarist Kenji Chan, drummer Chuck Norris III and Quintin Ferbie.
To finish out the night, JoJo wore the Mad Love jean jacket a fan threw onstage and sang the namesake of her album and tour, “Mad Love.”
As for what JoJo thought of ISU, she had nothing but love, saying the crowd’s “amazing energy lifted them up” and it was ISU’s crowd that “gave her life.”
Trust me, JoJo, we all love you too!