Jeovany Tzilin Gomez
Contributing Writer
UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) students danced during a sunny day on May 18 as the Associated Students Program Board (ASPB) hosted Camp X, the official title of the 45th annual music festival, Extravaganza.
The music festival took place at Harder Stadium with a huge turnout. Businesses such as Woodstock’s Pizza, Chiltepin Mexican Grill, and Babe Beverages tabled to sell their products. Student-led organizations were also selling concessions, such as chicken bakes and churros.
Since the event was named Camp X, many of the props and activities were camp-themed. Tents were placed to fit with the theme and provide shade for attendees during the hot day. The camp-themed activities included mini-golf, cornhole, and inflatable jumpers for those who wanted to participate without dancing or as an intermission between performances.
ASPB gave away reusable water bottles and bandanas to keep people cool during the hot weather. There were also free water refilling stations for people to refill their water bottles.
The artists that performed in this year’s Extravaganza include Chris Lake, Aminé, Ravyn Lenae, Snow Strippers, and Zacari.
The first act was R&B artist Zacari, who many people may know as the singer featured in Kendrick Lamar’s “LOVE.” He even performed “LOVE.” and shouted out to his label, Top Dawg Entertainment, which lured people close to the stage. He performed with a band that added more of the live experience and made the songs feel danceable.
The second act was the electronic duo Snow Strippers. They energized the dance floor when they played online anthems that made listeners feel like they were traveling to different dimensions. Graham Perez, the music producer of Snow Strippers, liked to joke around by saying a random phrase like “Yeah!” whenever he muted the song for an instant. Tatiana Schwaninger, the singer of Snow Strippers, danced as she sang to show people how confident she can be on stage.
R&B artist Ravyn Lenae was the third act of Extravaganza, and her angelic voice mesmerized the crowd. She sang some of her popular songs like “Sticky” and “One Wish,” setting the mood for people to settle in after a lot of dancing.
Of course, there were a few of her fans in the audience, such as fourth-year history of art and architecture major Ajani Tahimba (he/they). Tahimba said, “I really like her music. I’ve been a fan since 2016, so I’ve seen the growth. One thing I love about it [is that] she’s not afraid to experiment with her voice.”
Music lovers like Tahimba appreciated the opportunity to see their favorite artists reach a wider audience, especially through Extravaganza, where it’s many students’ first time listening to these artists. Fifth-year economics major Angel Coronel talked about this phenomena, saying about this year’s lineup, “I really enjoyed all of [the artists’] music. [It made me want to] go ahead and put [their songs in] my playlist [on] Spotify.”
Melodic rapper Aminé was the fourth artist to perform in Extravaganza as a replacement for the unavailable Trippie Redd. Aminé’s fellow DJ performed alongside him, serving as a hypeman to bring the crowd’s energy up. In addition, Aminé’s own energy and loud vocals had people bouncing.
People had fun dancing near the stage, with third year French and global studies double major Isabella Goetschel (she/her) included. Goetschel said, “[I] just wanted to be with my friends. I had a really good time [and] the music was really good.”
Music producer Chris Lake was the headliner of Extravanganza. Lake’s set consisted of a mixture of house and electronic music that made the dance floor the most crowded out of the whole festival.
Second-year psychological and brain science major Alejandro Gutierrez (he/him) was able to have a good time particularly because he didn’t have the opportunity to attend last year’s Extravaganza. Gutierrez said, “I just take advantage of the college experience, going to concerts. I’m here [at Extravaganza] for a reason. Might as well have fun while we’re here.”
Grace Freese (she/her), the Special Events Coordinator of ASPB, talked about her experiences in facing challenges and putting effort into organizing Extravaganza in an interview with the Bottom Line.
Freese said, “[People] see those things when you attend. But logistically, all those things have to be sorted out because they affect your lines, what you can and can’t have on the field, and [how artists navigate backstage].”
Freese believes that there has been a cultural shift when it comes to music artists performing at colleges and how certain artists gain success in different ways besides performing concerts. Freese said, “Take someone like Addison Rae who doesn’t have a full studio album [yet], doesn’t really perform a lot, or do headlining shows besides features. And she’s widely successful.”
Freese finds it beneficial for artists to perform at colleges because first-time listeners of their music can be converted into fans. She also mentioned how essential it is to maintain a stable and professional relationship with the agents that work with the artists.
Freese acknowledges that there’s been “a lot of discourse amongst the student body” about the recent lineups, including this year’s lineup. However, she believes that ASPB dedicates their time and effort to make Extravaganza an annual event because they want to contribute to the history and the cultural phenomenon of UCSB. Freese said, “[Extravaganza is] meant to be loved.”