Abbygale Hockenberry - A&E Editor
The Weeknd and Playboi Carti
One of my dreams came true being able to see The Weeknd on his highly grossing “After Hours Till Dawn” tour. From fireworks, laser-like lights, fire and extraordinary music, it was a night I will never forget. Playboi Carti opened the show with lots of energy and screaming that got the crowd excited for what was to come, singing songs like “FE!N” and “EVIL JORDAN.”
The Weeknd started things off with wearing a mask while singing “The Abyss.” After performing five songs, he did a dramatic mask removal, and I screamed like a little girl. One thing I hate about concerts today is when the artist has the backtrack so loud that you have to guess if they are even singing, or if they will sing bits and pieces. The Weeknd did not even have a vocal backtrack and serenaded me all night long. He quite literally took my breath away.
Mason Flowers – Sports Editor
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Isbell and his band put on a phenomenal show, with plenty of variety throughout. The main highlight was hearing songs from his new album, “Foxes in the Snow,” with the full band, which is a major difference from the acoustic studio versions. The band truly brought those tracks to life, making it sound like they were designed for full-band performances from the start.
The encore opened with “Decoration Day,” a personal favorite of mine from Isbell’s time with Drive-By Truckers, his former band from the early 2000s. Hearing that song live was something I’ll never forget, and the guitar sections on “King of Oklahoma” and “This Ain’t It” were perfect ways to end both the main set and encore. Add in good weather and a beautiful venue in Pier Six Pavilion, it was close to a perfect night.
Evan Dillow – News Editor
Summer of Loud Tour
The crowd and stage at the heavy metal music festival in York, PA., ‘Summer of Loud’ tour.
Thousands visited the York Fairgrounds on Saturday, July 19 to attend the 2025 Summer of Loud concert as a part of the events trip across North America.
The Summer of Loud tour celebrates the various popular subgenres of heavy metal music. The sights and sounds of the performances were influenced by genres like emo, metalcore, nu metal and grunge.
The roaring crowd cheered on various metal bands, including the four headliners I Prevail, Beartooth, Killswitch Engage and Parkway Drive. Special guest performances were also given by the bands The Devil Wears Prada, The Amity Affliction and Alpha Wolf.
An entertaining highlight of the night was I Prevail’s performance of the song “Blank Space,” which is their metal remix of the Taylor Swift song of the same name. This song and all other songs performed throughout the night threw the metalhead audience into a frenzy of headbanging and crowd surfing.
Hayden Highlands – Asst. Multimedia Editor
Wisp and more
Musical artist Wisp at a meet and greet before concert in Washington, DC.
This summer I went to a concert in Washington, D.C. The headliner was the shoegaze artist Wisp, and it was a unique experience for me. It was the first concert I’ve ever got VIP tickets for. VIPs got to see an acoustic set, and before the show we received early access to merchandise.
Aldn performing on stage, opening for Wisp.
Two openers were also at the show: Aldn and Dream, Ivory. Usually when I go to concerts, I don’t know the openers, but for this one, I enjoyed the openers just as much as the main act. Wisp is touring after releasing her first studio album, “If not winter,” and if you haven’t checked out the album yet I highly recommend it.
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