Let me first start this post by saying that if you ever get the chance to eat a pumpkin pie donut: don’t hesitate, don’t think, just devour. If your future pumpkin pie donut can come even close to the ones that were served at the Groovin at the Point concert, I guarantee you will thank me!

Groovin at the Point is a concert held by Point Radio, the collegiate radio station that I help manage. Twice a semester we host these concerts and they are always a highlight for me. We hire out local San Diego bands and have them perform while also serving local foods and further promoting Point Radio on campus.

At this concert, we decided to bring in Saint Luna and Spacetime Television, and it was truly a treat! The bands encouraged students to dance and participate and as they did, more and more students congregated to participate. By the time Spacetime Television hopped on the stage, there were 165 students viewing the concert. This is where the concert went from good to great: Spacetime Television included the crowd and had students crowd surfing, tambourine playing, and mosh pitting.

I remember the first concert that our team ever held being a little crazy. The first band showed up thirty minutes late, hadn’t been sound checked, and only about twenty-five students showed up. I think back fondly to that now and smile remembering all the ways we learned what did and didn’t work for us. We played with various foods, advertising, and music genres, and as we continued to do so we saw more and more campus participation.

My first semester as the Station Manager was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. To go from a growing event setting to a sudden stop was disappointing and difficult. It was hard trying to figure out how to balance the grief of what was lost while also continuing to create and participate in our campus culture from home.

I think that is why this concert felt so special. We had the largest turnout ever at one of our concerts and it was a truly special event. To view students giggling over Yerba Mates and dancing alongside their friends, old and new, warmed my heart.

The sense of community that I always feel at these events reminds me why I do what I do. I love to create these spaces where people can connect and can both feel at home and outside of their comfort zone. There isn’t a whole lot that feels as cathartic as letting go and dancing in front of a bunch of people to some live music. When was the last time that you tried it? And if you can’t remember then it might be time to buy some concert tickets and pull out your dancing shoes. It’s been a long few years, and you deserve to feel silly and happy and connected in the special way that concerts like this foster.

If you would like to participate or host a similar event, please feel free to contact me. I’d love to partner and develop something that can feel both classic and yet unique to your needs.