reign of the dukes JMU music festival draws large crowd and big name guests

By K. MAUSER The Breeze

“These are hype-ass people,” Stephen Glickman, who formerly played Gustavo Roque on the television show “Big Time Rush,” said.

This year’s Purple Reign music festival, hosted by the University Program Board (UPB), was headlined by Briston Maroney and Del Water Gap and emceed by Glickman. Student bands Project Serenity and Not a Saint Band also performed after being crowned champions of the Battle of the Bands competition during the last week of March, accompanied by JMU a cappella group ReScored Acappella.

The festival began at 2:45 p.m. Saturday, with ReScored Acappella opening for the other acts. Promptly after their set, Glickman took the stage and welcomed the JMU community.

“I’ve emceed a lot over the years, but not like this, not on a stage like this,” Glickman said. “This is a lot more fun than [other events]. I love it.”

Glickman said he asked to come to JMU to sing and play piano, but was instead offered the opportunity to emcee Purple Reign.

“I was like, ‘Hell yes! That sounds like a wonderful time,’” Glickman said.

Later in the afternoon, Not a Saint performed some of its music alongside Glickman.

“Today has been absolutely unreal,” Georgia Saunders, senior and lead singer for Not a Saint, said. “Everything worked out even better than we could’ve imagined.”

The six members of Not a Saint even played an impromptu cover of the song “No Surprises” by Radiohead alongside Glickman.

“‘No Surprises’ was a surprise — we didn’t plan that at all,” junior Thomas “TJ” Oxbrough, the band’s pianist, keytarist and singer, said. “I just did the little lick, and then [Glickman] jumped on. That was awesome.”

Sophomore Brianna Tatro said she loved Purple Reign and that it was a positive event. Tatro brought her emotional support dog to the festival and said she was “loving it.”

“It’s been really, really fun seeing all of these people come together and have that community,” Tatro said, “especially during the times where we’re going through a lot.”

Tatro said she thinks it’s important to come together as a community, especially in times where the JMU is going through a lot, such as the fatal shooting at Redpoint apartments just one night prior to the festival. She said the opportunity to experience a community together is beneficial.

Glickman said the crowd’s energy was so palpable because

JMU has love for its students and that the students are able to love and support one another.

“I think playing for JMU, honestly, is a little different. A lot of people in the audience you know and they’re your friends, or they’re people you lived in a dorm with or something,” Obrine Tamon, senior and drummer for Not a Saint, said. “There’s more of a connection playing at JMU than playing outside of JMU.”

Abby Wilson, sophomore and saxophone and backup vocalist for Not a Saint, said she thought there would be only a few people in attendance but was pleasantly surprised when she saw “hundreds and hundreds” of people in the audience.

“One of the coolest parts about performing was that so [few] people in my life knew that I was going to do this,” Wilson said. “Looking out in the crowd and spotting people … that was just so warming to see.”

Saunders said the energy is completely different when Not a Saint plays for a JMU crowd compared to other audiences.

“It’s absolutely incredible to see people you know sing along to your songs, when you might not get that in a venue with an older crowd or an out-of-town crowd,” Saunders said.

Glickman said the energy in the crowd was very hot and palpable.

“There is something in the water out here,” he said, when referencing the intense energy of the JMU community.

Tatro said she’d been to Lollapalooza and Vans Warped Tour, but that neither of these music festivals had as many activities as Purple Reign did.

Sophomore Drew Dodson, bass guitarist for Not a Saint, said he enjoyed the large scale of the festival.

“We were getting ready to sound check and I saw big bounce houses,” Dodson said, “which I haven’t seen since I was like eight years old. And the sound crew was fantastic. It’s so nice when we don’t have to set up all of our stuff — we just trust and let professionals do it.”

Oxbrough said his favorite part of Purple Reign was having the opportunity to play alongside Glickman.

“Representing Nickelodeon and representing people’s childhood, and bringing reminders of childhood to college, is a very important thing,” Glickman said. “Because when you’re in college, it’s all about growing up and being old or focusing on the future. But, you also have to focus on the past too because the past informs your future again, and again and again.”

Oxbrough also said Glickman inspired him to go into music.

“Being able to chat with him and talk about this idea of collabing together on one of his favorite songs — that is also our most popular song that we cover — it really was a dream come true,” Oxbrough said. “Hearing him talk about us and him listen to us, it just means so much. It gives us a future that we want to keep going for and keep striving for.”

Tatro said she will “absolutely” come back next year.

Nick Green, junior music industry major and lead singer for Not a Saint, said it was a “blast” to perform while sharing a stage with such fantastic musicians and people.

“I think that playing at JMU there’s such a more close-knit experience,” Oxbrough said. “JMU supports JMU, Dukes support Dukes.”

CONTACT K. Mauser at mauserkk@dukes.jmu.edu. For more on the culture, arts and lifestyle of the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the culture desk on Twitter and Instagram @Breeze_Culture.