Andrew Auclair ’29

by Andrew Auclair ’29 on October 8, 2026

Homecoming Weekend took place on campus this past weekend and, per tradition, included Late Night Madness on Saturday night. Before the concert, Providence College hosted Friar Fest, a celebration of students, parents, sports, and the performing arts on Slavin Lawn. During Friar Fest, students and their parents could walk around, grab a delicious local bite to eat, listen to good music performed by students and alumni, and even get personal signatures from PC’s finest athletes. This year, the weather wasn’t as scorching hot as last year’s and was instead a nice fall day warmed by a cloudless, sunny sky, permitting a fantastic day with family and friends. Likewise, Eaton Street was packed with seniors partying outdoors with their families, sharing good times, drinks, and the ideal PC experience.

As the night approached, students and parents began to migrate towards the Amica Mutual Pavilion for Late Night Madness, this year with Kelly Clarkson as the star of the show. As a sophomore, I have only been to one Late Night Madness so far, and it was for Carrie Underwood last year. In all, it was a good show, but many students were disappointed by the lack of seating in the pit following rumored incidents from Zac Brown Band’s 2024 performance. Personally, I wish Underwood would have been a little bit more interactive with her performance, as many people go for the vibes and the good time without knowing every song she’s going to play. This year, on the other hand, I have since joined the PC A Cappella club, and we, along with other on-campus performance groups, such as the cheer team, dance team, dance club, and Motherland Dance group, performed before the concert, also landing us free tickets to the pit. Opening the pit back up for students this year was an absolutely fantastic decision. Personally, I wasn’t a huge fan of Clarkson before the concert, but as soon as she started playing her first song, the vibes in and out of the pit ceased to be lame. At one point during the concert, many of the students began to hold up their phones, displaying a request for her to play her hit Christmas single, “Underneath the Tree.” She was surprised to see so many students requesting the song, saying how she hasn’t performed it in a long time, but she and her amazing backing ensemble made it a show to remember. Videos of her “Underneath the Tree” performance and interaction have since gone viral on Instagram and other platforms and are making their rounds to students and families beyond the PC community. I was honestly surprised by how many of her songs I ended up knowing and singing along with, as I only knew her as the “Since U Been Gone” girl. Nostalgic radio hits like “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” and “Heartbeat Song” had the crowd jumping up and down and screaming the lyrics at the very top of their lungs.  

I feel as though I can speak for everyone who got tickets to Late Night Madness this year in saying that it was a fantastic time and, with no shade to Underwood, was leaps and bounds better than last year’s. To my knowledge, all of the students in the pit behaved themselves, so the pit tickets should still be available for next year’s special guest. I cannot recommend being in the pit enough, regardless of who the musician may be. It was a great time all around and a wonderful closing act for Homecoming Weekend before parents returned home the next day.