On Monday, November 11th, 2019, nearly 900 Suffolk University students ventured to the Royale Night Club in Boston’s Theatre District to attend the biennial Fall concert, headlined this year by rapper Tory Lanez. Image Credit: Michael Clarke
I attended the concert from a staff member’s perspective, and it was incredibly cool to witness the behind the scenes of this highly-anticipated event.
Planning the concert began months advance as the concert committee, consisting of Suffolk Student Government Association (SGA) President Karine Kanj and six other Suffolk students who put in hours of work to find and book an artist, as well as carry out the logistics of the event, such as ticket sales, putting together an event staff, stocking Tory’s dressing room with his favorite snacks, and more.
Image Credit: Michael Clarke
From L to R: Pat Lovelace, Karine Kanj, Mardochee Sylvestre, Tory Lanez, Maddie Wilson-Shattuck, Liv Dulong, Derek Briand
Tickets went on sale Tuesday, October 29th and the hype could physically be seen by the long line of students that wrapped around the entire floor. There was lively chatter amongst the crowd of what songs they hoped Tory would sing. Even non-Suffolk students could attend the event if a student chose to buy one of the 250 guest tickets being sold and bring a friend or family member to join and enjoy the show. By the end of sales, tickets were officially sold out, and students were excited to see Tory so soon.
Image credit: Julia Demopoulos
The night of the event finally approached, and despite the freezing cold, students lined up outside the Royale, ready to see Tory Lanez. The energy was high and outfits were on point!
Event staff prepared to hype up the crowd while they waited and help check-in students safely and quickly.
After doors officially opened, Suffolk Free Radio’s very own Olivia Dulong, aka DJ Liv, started the night off as one of the concert openers. She radiated good vibes as the crowd was singing and jamming to her fun, upbeat mix of popular rap and throwback songs. Her iconic setlist set brought the venue to life and created a contagious wave of good energy.
The next opener was SGA Vice President Oba Oseghali, who goes by the stage name, Ishan the Rapper. Oseghali, whose latest album “Oba.” dropped in October produces and writes all of his music, and even designs his own merchandise. The crowd went wild with cheers when he performed; the hype was at an all-time high and the room grew more excited with each track he rapped.
Image Credit: Michael Clarke
From L to R: Oba Oseghali, Tory Lanez, Liv Dulong
Both Dulong and Oseghali did an incredible job getting the crowd ready for Tory Lanez, and it was inspiring to see them shine in their different elements.
Lanez was up next, and the crowd’s anticipation grew with every “Tory, Tory, Tory” being shouted. When he finally came out, the moment we had all been waiting for, there was not a single person who wasn’t screaming in pure excitement and awe.
Lanez performed his popular hit singles such as, “Luv,” “Say It,” and “Talk to Me.” With a new album dropping soon, Lanez even rapped “Freaky” which dropped a few months back in March and his brand new song “Jerry Sprunger” which came out three days prior to the concert. Yet, the crowd already knew every word.
His level of engagement with the crowd was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Lanez put all of his trust in Suffolk students and walked, literally, into the sea of people and they held him up by his feet, and he even crowd surfed a bit. It truly shows how much Lanez appreciates his fans and wants to engage with them. It gave the concert it’s own personal moment, something none of us will ever forget. Image Credit: Pat Lovelace
At the end of the show, the concert staff got to take a photo with Tory Lanez, something I am incredibly grateful for. He is truly so kind and humble. We were all in awe when we approached us, and he laughed and said, “Why do you all look so scared, it’s just me!” He thanked us for having him, but truly we are the ones who are thankful.
Image Credit: Michael Clarke
Concert Committee, Event Staff, and Tory Lanez
The concert brought the Suffolk community together for one night to forget about everything we have on our plates and to just share our love for good music and have a good time. As my last Fall concert, I truly couldn’t have asked for a better night.