Last year, I hopped on the phone to catch up with one of my good friends from high school. During our conversation, I learned that he was not only the lead singer in a student band at Bowdoin College, but that his band had won Bowdoin’s equivalent of our Battle of the Bands. I asked him about the prize, expecting to hear about a small cash payout or a silly trophy, but I was instead shown pictures of his band opening for Bowdoin’s version of Frolics, featuring Sean Kingston and NLE Choppa. Beyond how much I enjoyed seeing him grace the same stage that “SLUT ME OUT” would be performed on later that evening, it begged the question: Why do we at Davidson not offer that same opportunity?
I approach this issue as someone who loves Frolics and had no qualms with this year’s concert; the event is an incredible opportunity to attend a good show for free in the era of evil Live Nation’s monopoly over ticket prices. I interviewed Bea Middendorf ‘25, the chair of the Concert Committee, about her experience heading the selection process for Frolics and appreciated hearing about how much care she and the rest of the Committee gave to the decision over which artists to book. Mosh pits during Rico Nasty proved to be polarizing in the opposite way that laying on picnic blankets for Briston Maroney was, and the Committee reflected on that polarity to assemble a happy medium of folk rock, DJing and hip-hop this year. Although DJ Earworm’s hype man (and softcore stripper) threw me off a bit, every performer brought energy that made their sets enjoyable for everyone, regardless of genre. Given the constraints of the Union Board budget and performer availability, I believe that we had a great lineup. However, I wonder who we could bring in with even more money to work with, and there is no easier way to gain those funds than an opener who would play for free.
There are certainly pros and cons to the idea of having student performers as the opener for Frolics. It would be an unmatched opportunity to spotlight a band during the biggest event of the year. We had groups at Battle of the Bands perform everything from Steely Dan to Rage Against the Machine, so genre variety would most certainly not be a concern. If Davidson’s Battle of the Bands was to operate like Bowdoin’s, upping the stakes from “winner” to “Frolics opener” would most certainly bring more attention to that event and increase interest in performing at a high level. Most importantly—and I cannot emphasize this point enough—the winner would perform for free. This would then allow the Committee to put all of their eggs in one basket for a big primary artist.
However, I can understand that seeing a name
like FALL RISK on a Frolics poster likely
does not inspire the same level of excitement as a band with hundreds of millions of plays on Spotify (though it should). I also recognize that student bands do not have the performing experience nor the professionalism that people who make a living off of these gigs do. Though, even if a student band might bring a more amateurish energy to the stage, would it not be fun to see your fellow students performing alongside a big name artist? To see Jack Hill ‘27 play the “Free Bird” solo and likely outshine the main artist? Aside from the financial benefits, having this opportunity as a performer or an attendee is enough to sell me on the idea. Hopefully, those who can bring this idea to life will feel the same one day.
Michael Allen ‘27 is a Political Science and Educational Studies double major from Austin, TX and can be reached for comment at
