“The Big Show” has become a staple spring semester event on campus thanks to the Office of Student Involvement and all of the great work done by Illinois Wesleyan’s Campus Activities Board (CAB). 

After a dip in attendance last year due to staff turnover and contracting issues, questions arose about whether or not this year’s was going to be a hit. 

To the delight of CAB and the students, I’m here to report that this year’s show was a great success.

In the last two years, CAB capitalized off of the peak relevancy of hip-hop on college campuses, booking Waka Flocka, B.o.B, Travis Porter and Super Duper Kyle. 

This year, CAB decided to change it up, opting for the “throwback” pop-punk outfit The All American Rejects. 

While AAR may have been a surprise to a lot of students, the decision to bring an essential band to our generation’s childhood to campus proved to be a great one.

Stepping into Shirk Center and seeing the massive crowd of IWUstudents and AAR fans from the surrounding communities was truly a treat. 

I was lucky enough to have a spot front and center when the big act took the stage for a wildly entertaining experience. 

While the band’s frontman Tyson Ritter made self-deprecating comments about his group’s lack of relevance, they put on an awesome show. 

From circle pits, to shirtless back-flips, the band and crowd really pulled out all the stops to make “The Big Show” a memorable evening. 

“The All American Rejects were a total shot in the dark, ‘’ said CAB Director Hannah Horn when asked about the Big Show options. 

“Every student should know at least one of the artists that comes to campus in their four years, and it’s cool to see that so many people got a kick out of it.” 

Look for CAB to build on the successful event and put on another killer show next Spring.