by John Downey '23 on October 21, 2021
A&E Co-Editor
Arts & Entertainment
By Jack Downey ’23
On Friday, Oct. 15, there were quite a few events happening on Providence College’s campus: Late Night Madness, a scrimmage involving the PC Men’s Basketball Team, and a jazz concert in McPhail’s, just to name a few. However, the event that truly owned the night was Tune In.
Hosted by WDOM 91.3, PC’s radio station, the multifaceted event featured live music, coffee from the Presto Strange O truck, and, of course, Insomnia Cookies. Tune In started at 3:00 pm and went to 6:00 pm, and as the afternoon wore on, more and more people showed up until Slavin Lawn was packed. There was also a wide variety of student performers, which helped to draw a large crowd.
The performances started off with Kieran Kraus ’23, a DJ who is also WDOM’s executive technician. His beat drops shook the entire lawn and had people dancing as they arrived. Not content to simply stand at the turntables, Kraus also had a microphone at the ready to hype up the crowd even more as the songs he played blared for all to hear.
Following this set was Colin McNamara ’25. Armed with an electric guitar, a mic, and a hefty array of effects pedals, McNamara blazed and scorched his way through multiple rock classics, including “Voodoo Child” by Jimi Hendrix, “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath, and “Man in the Box” by Alice in Chains. Although he had no other instruments backing him, McNamara’s guitar sound was incredibly expansive, filling the entire lawn and beyond. Fans of rock music were noticeably impressed by his guitar work throughout his set.
After McNamara followed St. Joe and the Dorms, the closest group to a punk band at PC. The trio, consisting of Conrad “The Comrade” Drezek ’25 on drums, Griffin “Griffin May” May ’24 on guitar and vocals, and yours truly on bass and vocals, tore through punk and rock classics and even some original songs that they had written. The crowd was dancing and singing along, and the band fed off this energy by wildly jumping and running around the stage. The PA system nearly fell over twice, Griffin’s guitar became unplugged once, and Drezek broke at least one stick, which just added to the wild nature of the show. One must push every limit in the name of punk rock.
Once St. Joe and the Dorms finished up, Jack Wilmot ’24 took the stage. Soon he had the crowd hypnotized as he serenaded them with his acoustic guitar and American Idol-worthy voice. He performed originals as well as favorites such as “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac. At the end of his set, he brought out surprise guest Shannon Flaherty ’24 for a duet of “What If I Never Get Over You?” by Lady A. The crowd ate it up, and by the end of Wilmot’s set, it had ballooned noticeably.
The last act of the day was rapper Diego Avila ’22, also known as A-Fue. He took the stage and immediately commanded the audience’s attention with his charisma and attitude. His bars were endless and hard-hitting. A-Fue had a natural swagger that made him stand out from other rappers; he was clearly enjoying himself, and that energy was contagious. He also had several people from his corner in the audience, and they loved every minute of it. As the sun casted a poetic glow on the stage, A-Fue wrapped up his set and the show concluded.
Overall, Tune In was truly a magnificent event to behold and take part in. Everybody involved had a great time, and WDOM’s tireless work to pull the show off ended up yielding great results. The attendees loved it, and anticipation has been properly built for Stuartstock in the spring.