Campus Philly kicks off new school year

By Nick Talbot
Collegian Reporter
October 4, 2006

What do you get when you put a motocross stunt driver, tons of contests, hip-hop dance groups and live music all on one street in the heart of Philadelphia? You get the Campus Philly Kick-Off, which took place on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Saturday, Sept. 30.

La Salle students had the chance to check out free museums, music, performances
and giveaways during the Campus Philly Kickoff Sept. 30. - Lucian Tucker

The idea behind Campus Philly Kick-Off is to welcome back the numerous college students returning to Philadelphia for the new academic year. This is especially beneficial for freshmen, particularly those from out of town, to introduce them to life in the City of Brotherly Love.

Entertainment certainly was not lacking this Saturday on the Parkway, and the best part: it was free. If there is one thing a college student should not pass up, it is a free event. A plethora of tents lined the blocked-off street, with representatives from a variety of companies hosting giveaways, contests and raffles. Companies present included Apple, H&M, Starbucks and Ikea, among many others.

There were free coupons for Philly’s own “Terror Behind the Walls,” the frightening haunted house set up annually around Halloween in Eastern State Penitentiary on 22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue. Radio stations such as Wired 96.5 and the Y-Rock show from 88.5 WXPN, were hosting contests and giveaways, including Wired’s miniature version of Plinko for T-shirts.

Liberty Boards, a Philadelphia skateboard company, featured its sponsored skaters who built a small mini-pipe on the spot, and basically had a good time just skating and performing for the public. Shampoo Nightclub provided scantily-clad female dancers and male break dancers who performed to a variety of hip-hop tracks. Red Bull sponsored TNT motocross, a stunt show consisting of a kicker, a landing ramp and a lot of empty space in between.

A new Philadelphia television station, the CW, was also there. Its setup included its own small stage and adjacent screen broadcasting previews for its upcoming television show lineups. CW personalities also interviewed some of the local bands that played on the main stage before the headliners.

Campus Philly’s live music was probably the most riveting of all of the sources of entertainment. There were two stages, a local stage towards the beginning of the Parkway, and the main stage in the back, near the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The local stage featured the acts The PoPo, taragirl, DJ Nate Day, The Mighty Paradocs, DJ from Sinthesis and The Capitol Years. The main stage featured openers Gabriele & Tangible Truth and The Procussions, followed by headliners Saves the Day and Fat Joe.

Saves the Day is an alternative rock band from the backwoods of New Jersey. Members Chris Conley and David Soloway have been playing together since their high school days, and the band officially formed in 1997. They have just released their fifth full-length album, Sound the Alarm, despite being temporarily stranded without a label.

“There were some days when I wasn’t sure we’d be able to pull this album off,” said Soloway.

But Saves the Day managed to set up their own tour and put out a self-released EP, “Electric Ladybug.” They’re supported by a dedicated fan base which only continues to grow, especially now that they are on a label again, Vagrant Records. Their show at Campus Philly demonstrated this, having numerous fans dancing and singing along to all their catchy songs. Even through messy, drizzling weather that forced Campus Philly staff to pull tarps over the monitors and loudspeakers, loyal fans stuck to Saves the Day’s side through the last note. They even played an encore of two songs after initially announcing the end of their set.

After an intermission which exhibited the performances of college hip-hop dance groups like Rampage and Versatile, Fat Joe and his Terror Squad took the stage. Fat Joe hails from Brooklyn, N.Y., and has had a profound influence on urban culture. He had a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Now he is celebrating the release of his latest Atlantic album, All or Nothing.

By the time of Fat Joe’s high-energy performance, the attendance of the kickoff was dwindling because of the rainy weather. That did not stop a slew of committed fans from “leaning back” with him and his Terror Squad. With smooth beats and airtight lyrics, Fat Joe put on an electrifying performance that really capped the events of the day. He also made clear his praise of late rappers Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Easy E and fellow Latino rapper and major influence Big Pun.

The only bad ingredient in this recipe for excellence was the uncontrollable factor of the weather. Yet for many, this was of little consequence and did not stop this year’s Campus Philly from being a success.

talbotn1@lasalle.edu