This year, Del Water Gap headlined Student Union Board (SUB)'s annual spring concert, Sounds of SUB, which was held Friday in the Stepan Center. Student opening acts included Libby Garnett, Ben Warren Flynn and Maura McMahon.
“I’d never listened to Del Water Gap before, but he literally blew me away and I’m obsessed now," AJ Nelson, a junior, said.
Shannon Lipscomb, the co-director of SUB, reflected on the concert's planning process. “Working towards the SUB concert takes a lot of time, but it is very rewarding in the end,” she said.
SUB begins the artist selection process in the summer, working closely with their agents to explore potential performers who would be a good fit for the student body.
“We take [the summer] to connect with agents and work with our incredible concert committee to share our favorite music and discuss artists,” Lipscomb said. This year, they elected to bring the 502s to campus in the fall and Del Water Gap in the Spring.
Zach Zieleniewski, the chair of the SUB Concert Committee, shared that the most rewarding part of planning the SUB Concert is collaborating “with the committee to bring their ideas and interests to life.”
Libscomb said that, “We [were] excited to welcome Del Water Gap after the amazing run he just had opening for Niall Horan last summer and before he opens for Halsey and plays festivals this summer."
She shared that the decision process is not just finding popular artists, but also about ensuring they are available, fit within the budget and align with the vision SUB has for the concert experience. The committee takes student recommendations into account, and in this case, several members of the concert committee had seen Del Water Gap live and strongly advocated for bringing him to campus.
Once the artist is selected, the SUB team, along with their advisors Antwann Harper and Dante Jones from the Student Activities Office, handle a wide range of tasks to ensure everything runs smoothly. “We work on signing contracts, marketing the concert, and planning a great experience for all concert-goers,” Lipscomb said.
“This year, we had a hype event for Sounds of SUB ft. Del Water Gap by giving away Monster energy drinks in Duncan Student Center. We also promote the concert through our social media channels, school emails and by telling our friends,” Lipscomb said.
Elizabeth Owsley, a sophomore, offered her praise for the concert, saying, “[It] was great. Del Water Gap sounded amazing live, and the energy in the crowd made it even better.”
“Being able to provide the opportunity for students to experience live music on campus — it’s a special and unique part of the Notre Dame experience, and I am happy to have gotten to be a part of it," Zieleniewski said.
