During this year’s DAMJam, Oregon State University students enjoyed performances from local artists opening for Dayglow in the Student Experience Center Plaza on May 30 from 5-9 p.m.
Leading up to opening performances by Airplane Baby, Not Your Ex Lover, and DJ Leo later in the evening, Oregon State University’s Program Council organized a picnic in the Memorial Union quad.
This started at 2:30 p.m. and gave students the chance to relax, connect and enjoy refreshments or lawn games before or during the concert.
While jamming out to “Wish you Well“ by Airplane Baby, a cover of Chappell Roan’s “Casual” from Not Your Ex Lover, or a new song by Dayglow titled “Self-Esteem,” OSUPC’s team provided a variety of resources for students to access.
These resources included an on-site EMT, OSU Police, accessible bathrooms, and readily available accommodations for viewing.
Additionally, OSUPC provided students with a handful of goodies to further student engagement including glow sticks, sunscreen, earplugs, chips, and beverages—all while sponsoring a raffle for prizes like an iPad or digital camera.
To spread the word about the event and what would be available, the OSUPC team pulled together resources across campus and social media. Pauline Nguyen, a senior at OSU and OSUPC’s marketing specialist, noted this as a memorable first DAMJam experience for herself and felt it was great getting to create that outreach.
This outreach extended beyond the students needed to create an audience, especially since some of the performers sharing their art are OSU students themselves.
“This was the biggest stage I’ve ever played. It was nerve-wracking at first but super fun after all,” said Ewan McLain, student and guitarist for Airplane Baby.
Besides enabling growth, DAMJam also gave these students a chance to show off their talents with those they care about.
During Airplane Baby’s performance, Josh Corduroy, the band’s lead vocalist, took a moment to publicly acknowledge his family as well as his brother who had flown from LA just to see him that evening.
Alongside student artists, DAMJam’s contacts extended all the way across Oregon including Not Your Ex Lover, a femme glitter rock band from Bend.
Their lead vocalist and lyricist, Kourtni, said “We either found this through UDub’s (University of Washington’s) college radio, or through Addy from Locals Live—booking can be wild, but it’s great.”
To wrap up the event, DAMJam brought out Dayglow to headline, performing recently released hits such
as “Every Little Thing I Say I Do,” more popular songs like “Close to You,” and ending with a cover of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” that blended into their very own song “Run the World!!!”
