Last Friday, rapper IDK headlined the Spring Concert in Morrell Gymnasium with a raucous  reception from students. The two winners of the previous week’s Battle of the Bands contest, screamo band Moosecat and Irish band BEYONCE, opened the show.

IDK was originally slated to perform at the Fall Concert, which was canceled due to Covid-19. He was selected by the Entertainment Board (E-Board), headed by Alia Haskins ’22 and Giancarlo De La Rosa ’22.

“We would meet weekly and talk about what artists we thought were within our budget and good performers,” E-Board member Kat Daley ’22 said. “I really like this artist because I’ve been listening to him since I was in high school. He’s from the same city as I am. When I met him I got to tell him that, and he was very laid back and very kind,” Daley said.

Other attendees also appreciated IDK’s personality.

“I thought he was really hyped to be at Bowdoin,” Melissa Su ’24 said. “It seemed like he was putting his all into the performance, which I appreciated, even though I didn’t know any of the songs.”

While many people were not familiar with IDK’s music, students made efforts to learn his songs.

“I knew a couple people that were excited to see him perform,” Su said. “I think a lot of people went and listened to his music beforehand to try and get excited.”

Not knowing the lyrics did not prevent students from becoming invested in the concert. Behind the barriers immediately in front of the stage, some students shoved their way to the front. As an E-Board member, part of Daley’s responsibilities included crowd control.

“[I had to] make sure that there was nobody rowdy in the audience, and when people hopped over the fence, which apparently always happens, just catch them and tell them not to do that,” Daley said.

Despite the high-energy audience, not all students were equally enthusiastic about the performance.

“I thought IDK was very disappointing,” Zach Goffin ’24 said. “I felt like the concert was highly-anticipated, but it didn’t live up to the hype.”

Students met openers Moosecat and BEYONCE with a warm welcome. Su cited Moosecat as her favorite part of the night, which came as a surprise to her after hearing it was a screamo band.

“I was expecting something really loud and scary,” Su said. “It turned out to be something that I really, really enjoyed.”

Tyler Deane ’25 of Moosecat had a similarly positive experience.

“We chose songs we liked and gave them our all,” Deane said. “Every song on our setlist was there because we wanted it to be. We think that our setlist got the crowd going, and more importantly, stayed true to the original image we intended for the band.”