With talks of weekend rain, Marina Terteryan, director of concerts for Student Productions And Campus Entertainment, hoped nothing would ruin the CSUN’s Big Show 5.
“Unless there’s pouring water and the earth opens up, the show goes on,” Terteryan said Saturday.
Rain was not a problem, as a small cluster of CSUN students and their guests basked in the hot sun midday Sunday.
Some stood in lines stretching a building’s length; the crowd was as diverse as one could imagine.
Roughly 2,100 people turned at Big Show 5, headlined by bands Jimmy Eat World, Taking Back Sunday, and Mates of State.
Terteryan said the concert served several purposes — to bring the campus together, cultivate school spirit and give CSUN students a real college-life experience.
“It’s not even an event,” Terteryan said. “It’s an experience. Our (purpose is) that our students get to be 10 feet (away) from Jimmy Eat World. This is an opportunity we’re giving them that no one else will.”
Some CSUN administrators and staff members were in attendance.
“It was one of the most professional (events), and the SPACE people deserve applause,” said Tom Brown director of Physical Plant Management, who came with his son, daughter and wife. “I still appreciate the music.”
William Watkins, vice president of student affairs, said he was happy with the turnout.
“I think the students succeeded in getting entertainment … for this genre,” Watkins said. “To have as many students out (here) was great.”
Jennifer Santos, SPACE director of lectures, said 2,100 people showed up to the event, which cost $70,500 to put together.
According to event organizers, the estimated turnout was somewhere between 8,000 and 10,000 people.
A.S. President Cara Keith, who also attended the event, said she thought it cultivated school spirit and benefited the students. Keith also said the event was well organized and publicized.
“I think it brought students together, because I saw students I (had not) see in a year or two, and students that I went to high school with that do not go to CSUN,” Keith said.
Sitting under the shade of a tree by the Oviatt Lawn was David Angel, junior computer science major, along with his guest, Jennifer Rodriguez, a freshman at Pepperdine Law School who was studying for her final exam at the concert.
“We both have been (fans) of Jimmy Eat World,” Angel said. “There seems to be something for everybody in Jimmy Eat World.”
The two said they enjoyed the bands that played at the concert.
“I love music, and I want to love it for the rest of my life,” Angel said. “You really can’t beat Jimmy Eat World for free.”
“I like their lyrics,” Rodriguez said. “I think they (speak) to me.”
Ray Perez, freshman music major from Los Angeles Valley College, temporarily became a “body surfer,” riding the waves of the crowd three times “just for fun.”
“It feels tight,” Perez said about riding the crowd.
Some of the body surfers landed on their heads, and one concert attendee was taken away on a stretcher around 3:20 p.m. as the result of a head injury.
CSUN police declined to comment more on the incident.
Perez, who saw Jimmy Eat World for the first time at Big Show 5, said he gave the concert a perfect “10” on his grading scale.
Winners for the Homecoming court were also announced before the concert began.
Ricky Trevino, member of Lambda Chi Alpha, won Homecoming king, and Desiree Allen, senior journalism major, won Homecoming queen. Robert Press, also a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, won for prince, and Lindsay O’ Dell, a member of Alpha Xi Delta, won for princess.
Allen said she didn’t expect to win homecoming queen.
“I just didn’t want to look back later and (say) I wish I would have tried,” Allen said.
