Look How Far We’ve Come, Providence College

by John Downey '23 on May 6, 2022
A&E Co-Editor


Arts & Entertainment


Look How Far We’ve Come, Providence College

Quinn XCII Performs at PC’s 2022 Spring Concert

By Grace Whitman ’22

Two years ago, the Providence College student body was excited to return to campus after spring break to see Two Friends and Matoma perform at Spring Concert 2020, but the world had other plans. Yet throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Friar community showed resilience and perseverance, making it possible for Spring Concert to return to campus for the first time in three years last Saturday, April 30. 

This year’s concert took place in Peterson Recreation Center and was headlined by Quinn XCII and featured opener DJ Clockwork. It was the most-attended Spring Concert in PC’s history, a testament to how the campus community is truly soaking in every in-person moment of this school year. As Quinn XCII sings, “This is All We’ve Ever Wanted, Look How Far We’ve Come.” 

BOP’s Entertainment committee, chaired by Gracie Higgins ’22, has been working tirelessly all year to make Spring Concert happen after receiving some pushback from the administration related to safety concerns. Higgins said of the concert, “It’s absolutely incredible, as it’s the first Spring Concert that anyone on the Board has worked because of COVID-19. It has been incredible to watch it come into place behind the scenes, something that none of us had been able to experience before from this angle.”

Quinn XCII got his start on SoundCloud and achieved more mainstream success with his songs like “Love Me Less” with MAX, “Stacy,” and “Stay Next to Me” featuring Chelsea Cutler, who performed at PC in January 2019. 

When asked why the board selected Quinn XCII for Spring Concert, Higgins said, “We chose him because he is a fun, up-and-coming artist and one that a variety of students will enjoy regardless of their music taste. He also embodies a lot of Providence College’s values such as loving one another, enjoying yourself, and having a good time.”

The doors to Peterson opened at 7 P.M., and students filed in over the course of the next two hours until Quinn XCII hit the stage. He played for over an hour, performing some of his most well–known songs and repping a number 22 PC Hockey jersey. During his set, he mentioned that he has a strong connection to Rhode Island: he wrote his newest album, Change of Scenery II, in Newport last year.

PC’s campus has not had a “normal” spring semester since 2019, so with this year’s seniors graduating, Spring Concert and other second-semester campus traditions stood to be forgotten if they did not take place this year. As Higgins pointed out, “Spring Concert was on the verge of being lost entirely as a tradition for PC. As a senior this year and not having one since I was a freshman, if there wasn’t one this year, it might have been lost as a tradition.”

It is all about the scenery along the route, so to the Class of 2022, and the rest of the student body, enjoy the last few weeks of the year—and enjoy another day in paradise.