Students leave the concert filled with excitement
Performing songs from her debut album Know-It-All, Alessia Cara welcomed first-years to the beginning of their university careers at the Gryphon Fieldhouse on Sept. 11, 2016. This yearly event, organized by the Central Student Association, kicked off the semester in true Gryphon fashion.
Gryphons were treated to an intimate concert experience, quite different from some of the high-profile performances Cara has given over the last year. The Canadian singer-songwriter spent her summer touring through Europe with Coldplay on their A Head Full of Dreams tour. One of her stops on the tour was Barcelona where she played for 55,000 screaming fans. The Gryphon Fieldhouse may not have had that size of crowd, but it certainly sounded like it.
Fans of Cara crowded the stage, cheering as the stage crew set up, and screaming when she stepped out, breaking right away into her latest radio hit “I’m Yours.”
She introduced her songs by explaining what they meant to her and what she hoped the audience would take away from them. Friends in the crowd hugged and swayed while she sang “Outlaw,” which she explained was the song for that one person you can always count on.
A highlight of the show was when two orientation volunteers were invited onto the stage and showed Cara how to wind her toy. Cara said she didn’t understand the ritual, but she wished her school had an signature dance move to show off their pride.
As a young Canadian artist from Brampton, a city located only 45 minutes from Guelph, Cara’s success is an inspiration for many students entering university. She is certainly a good representative for aspiring Canadian artists, as she encourages people to follow their dreams and own who they are. She pointed out to fans that just three years ago she was in high school wondering if she could make a career out of her love of music.
While her two biggest hits “Here” and “Wild Things” had everyone singing along, the crowd favourite had to be “Stone,” during which she brought out her opening act, Craig Stickland, to accompany her onstage.
Stickland, who opened for Cara, introduced students to his special brand of indie rock music. He fed off the crowd’s energy, encouraging them to continue clapping through his songs and even added the audience’s claps to his music by using a loop pedal throughout his performance. While Cara was not available after the show, Stickland was able to greet fans at the back when the concert ended, posing for pictures and signing autographs.
Students left the concert grinning, still buzzing with excitement from Stickland and Cara’s fantastic performances—many pulling out their phones to add some new songs to their playlists.
Photo by Dana Bellamy /The Ontarion