Homecoming in college is a whole affair. Here at Georgia State, we have a whole week full of school-sponsored events, free food, giveaways and even a ball.
But each year when Homecoming comes around, new Georgia State students usually ask, “Who are we gonna get for Homecoming?” Our students are genuinely curious and excited for the answer. The next look on their faces is usually one of confusion when they are told, “No one.”
I went through this ordeal during my freshman year, and in addition to being confused, I was disappointed. Being that Georgia State means being in the heart of Atlanta, I would think we would have an array of at least hometown artists from whom to choose, such as Lil Baby or Usher, but we don’t.
There are many factors that go into having a performance at Homecoming, such as budgets, location and lighting setup. But that’s not the issue here. The problem is that we have no Homecoming concert at all.
We see other schools have multiple artists like Howard University. They had Saweetie, DaBaby and Lori Harvey. Or take a look at Kennesaw State: Even though they had one artist, but it was one of the hottest female rappers in the game right now, Megan Thee Stallion.
While they were posting videos of these energetic live performances, here at Georgia State, we were posting our free breakfast or a picture of Pounce.
Having a Homecoming concert adds to the overall Homecoming experience. The absence of it leaves students wanting more.
“It’s bulls— that we don’t have a concert. Like, it’s a shame that we go to this big school and can’t get a [Homecoming] concert or a decent performer,” Georgia State student Jada McCladdie said.
Our replacement for not having a fall Homecoming concert is to have a random spring concert called Pantherpalooza. Don’t get me wrong, Pantherpalooza is a nice event to have. Who doesn’t like to go to a discounted concert and not worry about paying for an uber or parking? But it seems the artist line-up is getting worse each year.
Last year, we had 6lack, an alternative R&B artist and rapper. The issue with having him as the headliner for Pantherpalooza is he makes music that I can fall asleep to.
I asked some students who they would like to see perform at Pantherpalooza. Georgia State students Jalen Ingram and Chere Amalaha both said Lil Baby and Megan Thee Stallion; Kierra Smith suggested Roddy Ricch. These are only the suggestions of three students, but all of the artists they suggested are energetic or “lit” artists.
If we have to decide on one artist for the entire school to watch, it shouldn’t be someone whose music makes us want to sleep or cry. So, if Pantherpalooza is the alternative to having a Homecoming concert, then we should at least have a lively performer. Georgia State got it right the years before 2018, so let’s hope they do it again.
