Swoopstock takes flight

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Photo by Zach Tennant

Lee Jean Jr. plays in front of students in the west campus amphitheater.

Khadean Coombs, Entertainment Editor

AACC held its first ever music festival, Swoopstock, on Oct. 7 at the west campus amphitheater.

The first act of the night was Britney Valentine, a father-daughter duo featuring Britney Pieraldi, an AACC sophomore. The duo performed strictly cover songs, such as “Ain’t No Sunshine,” originally by Bill Withers, which showcased Pieraldi’s soulful vocals. The duo’s final song, “Black Horse and The Cherry Tree,” originally by KT Tunstall, gave Pieraldi’s father a chance to sing lead vocals.

The Vibesmen followed Britney Valentine with a set infused with reggae-rock. The bands front man, Nick DePietro, brought energy to the stage with his distinctive dance moves, while Jesse Johnson, the bands bassist, walked into the crowd and played, even letting one student play his bass.

The bar was set high for the next performer and American Idol semifinalist, Lee Jean Jr. Jean began with “I See Fire” by Ed Sheeran, the song he auditioned with for American Idol.

Jean continued his set with a mix of Coldplay and other Ed Sheeran songs. With this mix of songs, many crowd members were blown away by his vocal abilities. One crowd member went on to mention that he should’ve won American Idol.

After Jean, Fast as Lighting took the stage as a trio instead of their normal five-piece outfit.  The young rock band featured 12-year-old Jackson Anderson on guitar, 10-year-old Katie Hall on vocals, and 14-year-old Trystin Martin on keyboards.

The band started their set with No Doubt’s “Just a Girl” and Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll,” showcasing that they can perform outstanding without their drummer or bass player.

To end the night, Grammy Award winner and Swoopstock headliner Rudy Currence gave the audience an angelic performance. Currence performed a mash-up consisting of Lil Jon’s “Snap Yo Fingers,” with The Fugees “Killing Me Softly,” The Weeknd’s “Earned It,” and John Legend’s “All of Me.”

With his extensive vocal range and soulful voice, Currence left the crowd speechless.

Along with great performers, Swoopstock held activities in between sets while the bands were loading out their gear, such as a dance contest, a banana eating contest, and many drawings to win Starbucks and Chick-Fil-A gift cards.

With the positive feedback from both performers and crowd members, Swoopstock looks to become a tradition at AACC every fall.