Students and guests started forming a line in front of Jerome Richfield on Saturday around 2:30 p.m. for CSUN’s 10th Big Show.
“We’re the smart people,” said Matt Dibo, 20, a fire technology major from College of the Canyons who came with a CSUN student.
Dibo, who was the first of the students allowed in and he cracked a big smile when a security guard motioned him forward.
Security guards used wands and metal detectors to prevent weapons and other unwanted items at the concert. They also checked purses and threw away lip balms, eye drops and lip gloss because they thought it posed a security threat, which might allow students or guests to sneak narcotics into the concert.
“We have 21 police officers, maybe more and 50 security guards today,” said Capt. Scott VanScoy, who was in charge of the field operations for the Department of Police Services. “This venue can fit 25,000 people and we have a lot of buildings and you have to make sure you ensure safety.”
One of the Big Show rules was that minors had to be accompanied by an adult but security had no way of verifying there was an adult present for every group, said Pedro Bernardino, 20, volunteer at the Big Show.
Bernardino asked, “Are we checking IDs?” After receiving confirmation from his radio the recreation and tourism management major said, “No, we’re not checking IDs.”
While some students were going through the metal detectors, other students were purchasing sodas in half-liter glass bottles from the Munchie Machine, one of the vendors at the concerts.
There was a booth selling glow wear and all of the proceeds earned from the booth were going to an organization called Autism Speaks.
“SPACE bought them with the budget and whatever money we collect from the glow bracelets and glasses will go to the relief fund of autism,” said sophomore Raumika Nayyar, business management major.
By the middle of the night the Autism Speaks booth had sold out all of its glow glasses.
Czarina Martinez, graduate assistant for student production and campus entertainment (SPACE), which was the organization that spearheaded the concert, said LMFAO and Kevin Rudolf were spotted early that day doing sound checks on stage.
“For sound check, artists don’t usually show up, so it was surprising that both artists did,” Martinez said.
CSUN provided the artists with their own hospitality rooms decorated in drapes and items they requested to have within them, Martinez said.
“It (the hospitality room) is a nice area to make them remember CSUN treated them well,” Martinez said.
LMFAO was paid $40,000 to perform, said Ali Garcia, executive director of SPACE.
LMFAO sang their song “Put That A** to Work” for the first time in L.A. County and shortly after, one of the members, SkyBlu, brought his father out on stage for his birthday and had the crowd sing “Happy Birthday” to him.
Chieko Shioi, 22, an international student from Japan and kinesiology major at CSUN, said she thought LMFAO was cool.
“It makes me wild and I enjoy the music,” Shioi said.
Shioi added the $5 were worth it.
