Annual Bruin Bash kicks off new school year with high-energy lineup

Over the course of a year at UCLA, students can partake in a variety of large-scale, school-wide festivities, from the Beat ‘SC Bonfire to Spring Sing.

Every Sunday of Welcome Week, the Campus Events Commission and Cultural Affairs Commission host Bruin Bash, a free concert that is followed by a dance and a movie screening.

This year’s line-up includes Major Lazer, Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar and Starting Six.
Fourth-year international development studies student and CAC commissioner Kinnery Shah said that the on-campus event was started to provide something for students to do on their first weekend back.

“It’s a way to make sure that the first weekend at UCLA is a safe experience … essentially to replace the apartment and fraternity partying with something on-campus, that could be monitored, but would be equally as fun,” she said.

CEC and CAC work together to choose the concert line-up. Shah said that with 25,000 students attending the university, it is difficult to appeal to everyone’s musical tastes, but that the best way to do that is to have multiple artists from different genres.

“UCLA is always a big market “¦ especially at an event like this, a kick-off event with so many students. … If (the artist) is available and we have the kind of money they’re looking for, it’s usually not difficult to convince them (to perform),” Shah said.

Gerardo Camacho, a third-year psychology student, said he enjoys all the events that the campus committees put together, but Bruin Bash is one of his favorites because it’s a free concert that usually has a well-planned line-up.

“The celebration welcomes new bruins into our family with a high energy,” Camacho said. “They get to see the spirit that the Greek system at UCLA has at these school-wide events.”
Bruin Bash is historically held in Pauley Pavilion, but it has also been held in venues such as Drake Stadium and the Los Angeles Tennis Center.

As early as 2005, the show has left concertgoers wondering who will embrace the stage next. Thrice and Common performed in 2005, Xzibit and Rooney in 2006, T.I. in 2007 and Hellogoodbye in 2008. LMFAO and Clipse performed in 2009, and Travie McCoy, Ying Yang Twins and The Cataracs played last year.

Shah said, “We look at who can put on the best show … sometimes if there is a big name, but we know they’re not a good performer, then that’s not someone we’ll go for. … We look for (genres) that are high energy: electro, techno, rap, hip-hop.”

The concert succeeds in drawing large crowds of new and returning students. In past years, some students have lined up as early as four hours before the show to make sure they would get a good view of the stage.

Third-year political science student Florante Sarmiento said that for him, Bruin Bash was an opportunity for students to get the college experience that a lot of students anticipate once they are admitted.

“It’s beneficial for first-years to attend because it’s a small step to opening up to people and experiencing one of the few great social events that UCLA has to offer to its students,” Sarmiento said.