Rap artist Logic performed before a crowded Field House Thursday

By Miranda Wilder, News Editor

The crowd pushed forward, shoving toward the front row as fans waited for Logic to appear onstage at the Student Committee On Popular Entertainment’s (SCOPE) latest concert held in the Field House Thursday night. 

Chants of “We want Logic” frantically turned to just “Logic,” repeated over and over until the artist made his first appearance.

“I represent one thing, do you know what that is?” Logic shouted into the microphone as attendees screamed and pushed harder at the sight of the highly anticipated hip hop/rapper.

“Peace, love and positivity,” he responded in answer to his own question. “Let’s keep this peaceful. Respect each other; look out for the people around you tonight.”

According to Publicity Director Christina Merrill, this was not the first time SCOPE decided to hold a concert in the Field House.

“SCOPE’s been around for 40 years,” she said. “We’ve done concerts [in the field house] before.”

The last time SCOPE held a concert in the Field House was when Two Door Cinema Club performed in 2011. 

With 2,500 tickets sold, the Field House filled up by the end of first act, Clinton Sparks. Some people had been waiting in line for five hours, bearing the rain and bitter wind outside.

14-year-old Riley Venable was one of those who braved the weather, as he abashedly admitted to being in middle school. Maybe one of Logic’s more versed fans, Venable has been following the artist for four years now, long before Logic rapped his way into recent fame.

“You gotta really dig deep,” Veneble said about Logic’s older music. “It’s 17,000 songs in the past few years and he hasn’t released any.”

Venable, accompanied by his two friends who also attend the Oyster River school district, looked forward to hearing Logic’s newest album “Under Pressure.”

“This is our first concert and I’m really excited,” UNH freshman Diana Janus said over in the girls’ line, separated for the security check. “I think this is the perfect opportunity to become one with my school.”

While some attendees had been fans for years, others were barely familiar with Logic’s music and merely attended to have a good time, surrounded by friends and live performance.

As the queue filled up, concertgoers included University of New Hampshire graduates, current students, underage kids and people from surrounding towns who had heard about the show. Logic seemed to attract a large spectrum of fans.

Until doors opened around 7:15 p.m., Substance Awareness through Functional Education (SAFE) handed out free slices of pizza to freezing students waiting desperately outside the doors.

“We do it for every [concert],” said Ann Marie Hall, a student SAFE member, “because people come to concerts drunk. It helps sober them up a little and makes for a safer, better time.”

“Pizza for the naked girls,” one of the older women accompanying SAFE cheerfully said as she did her rounds with a steaming box of Domino’s.

When the doors finally did open, it was as if the line, now heading up the Field House’s driveway and beginning to dot the sidewalk in front, let out a sigh of relief. Attendees would not be cold for much longer.

Inside, screams from a widening group of students and other audience members before the lights dimmed as performers got ready. Many people had toys to keep them interested and occupied, including light-up devices, glow sticks and beach balls.

As Clinton Sparks entered the stage with a remix of the song “CoCo,” the crowd let out an immense amount of pent-up energy. Sparks managed to keep the crowd upbeat, maintaining positive vibes and a positive attitude while remaining widely supportive of his follow-up acts and making references to the school mascot to allow for some school patriotism in the venue.

Students and security seemed to work together to keep the crowd under control and as safe as possible.

Several audience members accompanied by security guards made it possible for a male in a wheelchair to be in the front row for several songs. After he had had enough, students made a path so security could help escort him through the people to a safer spot. Other students who no longer wanted to be shoved against the barrier were helped over by staff members.

But just like any tightly packed crowd, there were some problems at the Field House.

Towards the end of Clinton Sparks, it was obvious students were getting tired. Bishop Nehru performed, and police began to escort some students to the door. By the end of the second act, state police officers had arrived, and kids were leaving in handcuffs—some were upset, others just looked disappointed.

Zach Canto, a sophomore SCOPE member, remained optimistic by hoping the audience would stay upbeat.

“Everything seems to be going really well and people are enjoying it,” he said. “We were pushing for ticket sales, but then everybody’s here and having a really good time.”

According to Canto, the Whit sells closer to 5,500 tickets, and the upcoming Lee Brice concert is the first that has completely sold out since Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller.

As students got uncomfortable and thirsty while they were shoved against the crowd barrier, SCOPE staff and volunteers sprayed water at the front rows and into students’ open mouths.

Logic proved to be a very interactive performer, rejuvenating the crowd and inspiring them to stay peaceful while entertaining them at the same time.

“We ain’t here to fight, we ain’t here to get kicked out,” Logic said. “We’re all here to have a good time.” He would often ask or remind the crowd about his mantra of peace, love and positivity.

Logic balanced his music with conversation and storytelling, at one point explaining his song “Gang Related,” which he finds harder to perform than the typical freestyle, fast-paced verse because it is from the perspective of his brother selling drugs on the streets.

He also performed his song “Top Ten” for the first time to a live audience, explaining that DJ Rhetorik, who had been enthusiastically keeping up with Logic throughout the performance, talked him into letting UNH be the first to hear the song done in person.

As the show came to a close, Logic switched his songs to those of a mellower breed before coming back onstage for an encore performance. It seemed the ratio between males and females was much imbalanced, with a significantly greater amount of males. Although tired, the long stream of students heading home after the show was not disappointed.

Student chatter could be overheard, saying “Way better than Kendrick,” “Logic is nasty,” and other brief reviews on the artist’s performance.

“I don’t care if you’ve been a fan for two years, three years or five,” Logic proclaimed. “All that matters is that you’re here now as a family.”