UWM’s annual Fall Welcome Invited Indie-pop songstress Bishop Briggs and pop sensation Jason Derulo after the eventful Panther Street Festival which brought live music and popular food to UWM’s campus.
Set up around the iconic Fountain courtyard next to the Golda Meir Library, Pantherfest’s Street Festival gave students a chance to sample food from popular restaurants such as Qdoba, Insomnia Cookies, and Milwaukee Food Truck which featured ice cream and grilled cheese. Other events featured caricatures, henna tattoos, and blow-up courses which students could test their skills in rock-climbing, human foosball and an obstacle course.
Following the Panther Street Festival, students climbed on to buses to Marcus Amphitheatre were students were hyped and dancing to DJ duo Your Antics, an EDM group who have opened for popular artists such as Dillion Francis and Krewella. The duo featured remixed versions of old and new popular music. Students in the pit area had front-row seats to a big screen which played a montage of the best dancing students, lively groups, and shootouts. Bright colors and trippy effects to the montage held everyone attention with both excitement and wonder as students searched for themselves on the big screens. During Antics, one student gave her phone up to the set so she could get a picture with Antics, and they were nice enough to jump off stage and get a group photo.
After listening to her single, River, on the radio, students got to hear Bishop Briggs popular song sung live. During her set, Biggs gave a shout-out to UWM Mascot Pounce the Panther as he dipped in and out of the crowd, and he eventually joined her on stage and had enough time to snap some quick selfies as Briggs finished her red-lit set. The black and red colored stage and car radio vibe of Brigg’s set got students waving their phone lights in the air as a black-cladded Briggs jumped around the stage.
The highly anticipated set of Jason Derulo didn’t miss a beat as Derulo took the stage with his hit song Trumpets. Students were introduced to Derulo’s dancing entourage and their envious dance moves all while Derulo’s DJ Jae Murphy kept the students hyped and dancing. Derulo played his popular hits including Get Ugly, Wiggle and In My Head. During his song It Girl, Derulo pulled up a student on stage, serenading her while kissing her shoulder, and gave the whole audience a fake out, leaving the lucky girl on stage breathless and the crowd wild. Derulo finished his set with his popular summer hit, Talk Dirty, and thanked the crowd.
Student body President Mike Sportiello came to the stage to thank the Student Association’s workers for the planning and set up of this year’s Pantherfest. Other groups featured during the activities were the Craft Center, which is located on the ground level of the Student Union, as well as eCampus and National Guard. UWM provided free bus transportation to and from the events.