Kid Ink will headline the annual Welcome Back concert at the Hill Student Center amphitheater. Photo courtesy of Caleb RottonSarah Faulkner - Editor-in-Chiefeditor@insideuab.com
The annual Welcome Back concert, featuring hip-hop artist Kid Ink as the headliner, is set to be held Aug. 28, the day before fall semester classes begin.
Caleb Rotton, the coordinator of student activities for the office of student involvement and leadership, said that the decision to invite the rapper to the university was made after consulting with students from the University Programs Board and the Undergraduate Student Government Association. The two student groups decided from a list of artists that was within the university’s designated price range.
“The students are involved in every step of the selection,” Rotton said. “I give them a wide range of artists in our price range and we narrow it down until we get a solid four to five artists. We then rank them based on which ones would be most appealing and send them to the administration for approval. The students involved are the UPB Executive Council, the UPB Live Entertainment Committee and the USGA Executive Council. I also ask a few students leaders in the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership to be involved. Students can join UPB if they want to be more involved with the concert.”
While Parachute, a rock band, performed two years prior, Kid Ink’s performance follows that of B.o.B., another hip-hop artist. Rotton said that the individuals who made the decision were “considering hip-hop the whole way” as they “wanted to move more firmly in the hip-hop genre with this year’s act.”
“[B.o.B] has a great mainstream hip-hop pop vibe that makes him accessible to a large audience. [...] We wanted to continue with the success that B.o.B brought last year,” Rotton said. “That was our largest concert to date and wanted to continue that trend. We believe that our students will come out and have a good time with the type of show that Kid Ink puts together.”
However, this year, the performance is to be relocated to the amphitheater just outside the dining area of the Hill Student Center.
“We wanted to showcase our new student center,” Rotton said. “It’s a beautiful building and is a great setting for such a large gathering. Also, we have wanted to make this concert one that we would charge a fee for outside guests while keeping it free for students. The logistics and cost of fencing off the Campus Green for the concert was prohibitive. Moving the concert to the Amphitheater allows us to fence off the area and charge for outside guests. The amphitheater is a more natural place that can withstand all of the foot traffic better than the north Green.”
Rotton described the response that he has received as “incredible.” The promotional video launched on Aug. 15 by his office now has over 4,500 views. However, UAB students responded to the announcement with mixed reactions.
Varshini Venkatesan, a neuroscience major, attributes any disappointment to the concert being “hyped up a lot more than in the past,” which led people, in her opinion to want someone bigger.
“I’m definitely more excited about Kid Ink [than B.o.B] though because, although I knew that B.o.B was big and all I only knew two of his songs: ‘Airplanes’ and ‘Nothin’ on You.’ I did go to the concert last year and I enjoyed it. It was really hot though,” Venkatesan said. “I think it’s more about the experience and environment rather than the artist itself. But yeah, now that I know that I’ll be able to sing along with almost all of Kid Ink’s songs, I’m looking forward to next Sunday.”
Ultimately, Rotton said the goal of the concert is for students to have fun before beginning classes.
“That’s it. We want students to bring their friends and have a good time,” Rotton said. “The cherry on the cake would be if a student met a new friend while they were there. Making those connections to campus and fellow students is what we strive to do.”
