Sophia Costa
Staff Writer
Southern Takeover returned this year on a new stage, with new musicians, and an exclusive new backstage experience. The premiere of the improved takeover by ACE left students and fans excited for years to come.
The Pre-Show Party
Before the featured artists, ACE threw a pre-party to get students hyped for the show. Students were able to enjoy pre-show perks such as caricature artists, airbrush artists and food trucks. When students arrived, they were given tickets to use towards the food trucks and activities. Students were also able to get their hands on band merchandise and the official 2024 Southern Takeover T-shirt designed by ACE.
The Show
This year’s Southern Takeover moved inside to Branscomb Auditorium. With previous years experiencing weather issues an inside venue was more ideal and offering a better experience for students.
Lisa Heller started the night off by playing some of her hit songs, such as “LOSER!” and “is anyone listening?” Heller also got the crowd pumped up by covering Smash Mouth’s hit song, “All Star.”
Next on the lineup was Magic!, well, Magic? Unfortunately, the lead singer of Magic!, Nasri Atweh, was unable to attend the show, so the rest of the band performed under the temporary name “Magic?” The band covered some of their favorite songs ,such as The Temptations’ “My Girl,” Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey,” Radiohead’s “Creep,” and many more. Magic? ended the night off by playing some of then their hits such as “No Way No” and fan favorite “Rude.”
Finally, the headliner for the evening, Echosmith took the stage. Their hour-long set included fan favorites such as “Bright” and “Over My Head,” and ending off the night with their most popular song, “Cool Kids.” Sydney Sierota, vocalist for Echosmith, interacted with fans during the show by reaching down and taking a phone from a fan to take a selfie-style video from the stage. The crowd stayed energetic during the night, making it an elevating performance
ACE’s VIP Experience
Freshman Gia Montanez won the raffle for ACE’s new VIP experience offered new this year for Southern Takeover. Montanez found out that she won the raffle when ACE’s Director of Southern Sound, Tommy Anderson, posted a video to YouTube with the winners. She explained that she was “a big fan of Magic! and that is something we (Montanez and her father) were excited to see.” Despite not being able to see the whole band perform, Montanez still considered this event “an absolutely amazing and a really fun experience and an event she would look forward to in the future.”
Some of the perks that came with the VIP experience was getting to meet all of the artists and then having a backstage viewing of Echosmith’s set towards the end of the show. Montanez recalled that all of the bands were kind to her.
“Magic! They were so funny, both of them were absolutely hilarious. We were back there for a good ten minutes just laughing. Lisa Heller was super sweet. When she came in we actually thought she was a college student, so we were all really confused, but she was so nice. And obviously, Echosmith was awesome. I think we spent the most time with them for the meet and greet. We took so many photos,” said Montanez.
With this being Montanez’s first Southern Takeover, she concluded that this is an experience that ACE should continue to offer. It exclusivity and engaging experience allowed her to have a moment she will never forget.
