By Michael Bernaschina, Staff Writer
Later this month Sept. 16, country music duo Dan and Shay will be performing on campus in an event hosted by the Student Activities Committee (SAC).
“I wanted to get a variety,” said senior Bianca DiTrolio, president of SAC, on the decision to get Dan and Shay.
“We’ve done pop and hip-hop, but since we’ve been here we haven’t had country.” SAC also seeks to make this event different from prior events that have been held in the past.
“I wanted to make it more of an event than just a concert,” DiTrolio said. “We’re trying to get yard games, and Aramark said they can do dinner outside that night, which would lead into the event.”
The outside dinner is scheduled to follow normal dinner hours, 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., after which the doors to the concert will open and the opening act will then perform.
Devin Dawson, another country singer and song-writer, is scheduled to perform at 7:30 p.m. as the opening act. House music will then be played at 8 p.m., after which Dan and Shay will come on at 8:30 p.m.
The two men who make up the duo, Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney, first met in 2012 and began writing songs and performing together. They were signed to Warner Bros. Nashville, and wrote their first single “19 You and Me,” with country songwriter Danny Orton, which was released in 2013, as per their website.
In 2014, Dan and Shay released their debut album “Where It All Began,” which included “19 You and Me,” and in 2016 they released their second album, “Obsessed.”
“I think a lot of people like that country feel, where it’s a festival and you can hang out and listen to music,” DiTrolio said. “With it being in early September, that’s what I was going for, a more summertime, country, chill feel.”
Last semester the Student Activities Committee brought SU’s campus two concerts in the Spring semester. The two individuals who appeared last semester were Sage the Gemini and Andy Grammer.
The concerts were featured within a two-week period. Andy Grammar started the two part concert series by playing hit-line songs like,” Keep Your Head Up,” and,”Fine By Me.”
Sage the Gemini finished the two-part concert the following week. Sage the Gemini headlined songs from his albums such as two widely known party singles, “Gas Pedal” and “Red Nose,” both of which were featured on the Billboard Hot 100.
Be on the lookout for the announcement next semester for the Spring Semester Concert. If you are interested in working with the Student Activities Committee, contact DiTrolio at ditrolio@ susqu.edu.
