The Santa Clara University Concertgoers’ Guide
Santa Clara’s students speak on their concert experiences
Music is especially pervasive for our digitally-connected generation, and our student body is no exception. The proof lies in the many student bands putting on house shows, events in the Forge Garden and taking CalTrain trips to off-campus concerts. Our students love to listen to music and love to see it live.
There is an undeniable learning curve in joining the Santa Clara concert-goer’s experience. Finding shows in the area, coordinating transport to performances, and learning the ins-and-outs of being prepared and staying safe in new and unfamiliar places are essential to the desirable stress-free concert experience. Student voices offer the best advice for fellow students and live music lovers. Such advice often comes from KSCU, Santa Clara’s student-run radio station. Jackson Giradi, Traffic Director, has enjoyed going to shows with his friends throughout his time at college.
“The best part of going to a concert is dancing, being with a crowd and the feeling of community you get because you’re all listening to the same person,” said Giradi. “You’re all sharing how much you like that artist.” His favorite off-campus concert of the previous year was 100 Gecs, which he saw at The Catalyst in Santa Cruz.
While Jackson enjoyed the change of pace being in a setting that wasn’t entirely made up of his peers, sophomore Aiden Burke shared a different perspective on concert-going. “I don’t really think that it’s a break from Santa Clara necessarily because I go with my friends from school,” Burke said. “So it’s like I’m taking Santa Clara there with me, in a way. But it’s a way to express yourself and get out of the school environment.”
There is undeniable appeal in leaving campus for a concert, whether it be San Francisco or Santa Cruz, by CalTrain, ZipCar or carpooling. It can be a breath of fresh air from campus life and an easy way to appreciate art. But many students also find fulfillment in on-campus concerts or their neighboring house shows.
Aidan Burke shared that some of his favorite concerts he’s seen at Santa Clara have been his friends' band Pluie. “It’s here with my friends that I can be more of myself than I can with a group of random people,” said Burke. “I guess this might be counterintuitive, but we all do the mosh pit, and after it feels like I’ve been relieved in a way. Like a cathartic release.”
The longer students spend on campus, the more fluent they can become in finding these concerts. Junior student and KSCU radio host Michelle Yavorskiy says she finds out about campus concerts through announcements and social media, like @kscuradio or @undgndsnd. Santa Clara’s Forge Garden also hosts diverse genres of student artists and offers both musicians and their audience a pleasant relief from strenuous schoolwork.
Gonzalo Chun, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of student band, Pluie, has played at the Forge, as well as multiple houses and on-campus locations throughout last year. “I think at the start for me it was weird because I was so nervous. But now, as I’ve played more, I have more experience and it’s fun. It’s really great to make music that you like and put it into other people's ears, and make them happy,” said Chun.
Our diverse student body enjoys live tunes in varying ways. Regardless of how students partake, concerts are a unique supplement to campus life by offering shared experiences with friends, peers and strangers alike.