Extravaganza at UCSB’s Harder Stadium

UCSB’s Associated Students’ (AS) annual free concert has attracted masses of people throughout the years, and this past Saturday proved no different, with thousands of students and visitors packing into Harder Stadium to enjoy an eclectic lineup of electronica, indie, and hip-hop.

The event featured rap and R&B sensation Drake, who fittingly showed up for his headlining set sporting a UCSB sweatshirt. Indisputably the performer in demand, he had fans nearly pushing down barricades to get closer to him. He delivered the hits (namely “Best I Ever Had” and “Bedrock”), ushered Birdman onstage for a cameo performance, and spent a chunk of his set campaigning for the upcoming release of his label owner, Lil Wayne. He also turned heads when he called up a girl from the audience and kissed her on the neck and forehead, all the while crooning to her in his signature seductive timber.

Despite having the crowd on his side, Drake ultimately received mixed reviews from attendees. With an unsurprisingly familiar style, Drake proved to be a more articulate, less lyrically adept version of Lil Wayne, which viewers seemed to either love or hate.