MAGIC! sparks good vibes at Rider’s outdoor fall concert

By Danielle Gittleman
Students didn’t have to wait long this year for the fall concert to roll around; however, that didn’t stop the excitement from quickly building up.
On Sept. 14, MAGIC! took the stage along with Samantha J and Kat Dahlia. This year, the performance was held outside on the Campus Green between Cranberry’s and Sweigart Hall. Although poor weather was a fear when it came to planning the concert outside in comparison to the usual indoor concert, the afternoon turned out to be a beautiful one. The sun was shining, and the weather could not have been any more perfect for a Sunday afternoon.
Students were greeted by several palm trees at the entrance of the fenced-off concert area as well as red-and-white beach balls scattered on the ground to give the show a beach feel. A tropical tiki bar was also set up on the side for students to enjoy fruit smoothies or shaved ices.
Samantha J was the first of the three acts to take the stage. The 17-year-old hailing from Jamaica performed a handful of songs including her 2013 hit single, “Tight Skirt.” Her mix of pop and reggae had students clapping and dancing along to her performance.
Following behind Samantha J was Kat Dahlia, who performed only three songs for awaiting students. Dahlia, having more of a hip-hop sound to her music, played one of her hit singles, “Crazy.”
The crowd of students was absolutely buzzing when MAGIC! finally took the stage. The reggae-inspired band played hits from its debut album including the title track, “Don’t Kill The Magic,” as well as the No. 1 hit, “Rude.” The band also covered Stevie Wonder and Cyndi Lauper.
MAGIC! has a very mellow sound to its music, which allowed students to move to the beat and jam with one another. The band made sure to interact with the crowd,  even giving students the incentive to get on stage if they could manage to hit one of the band members in the head with a beach ball.
“The performance by MAGIC! was great and it gave off good vibes,” said sophomore marketing major Ivanka Magne. “They gave an awesome performance and really interacted with the crowd.”
Although many students weren’t familiar with the music, it didn’t stop them from dancing and having a great time. While some sang along word-for-word, others simply enjoyed the live music, dancing contentedly to the beat.
The atmosphere did change, however, when MAGIC! played its number one song, “Rude.” The energy of the crowd visibly grew once the opening chords were played. Almost every person in the crowd was singing along to the hit song of the summer. Phones and cameras were held aloft by almost every hand in the crowd, recording the hit to share with others.
“I was a little skeptical when deciding whether or not I wanted to attend the show, since I didn’t know the music,” said sophomore digital media major Tiffany Hill. “I ended up enjoying it despite only knowing the one song by MAGIC!”
Once the show was over, the band stuck around for a little while to sign autographs and take pictures with fans.
“I thought the event was a total success with beautiful weather, great music, and represented the very best of Rider University,” said Nick Barbati, assistant director of Campus Life. “MAGIC! were first-class performers that put on one of the very best concerts Rider University has seen. The Student Entertainment Council once again proved that Rider does concerts like nobody else.”