CSU East Bay celebrated their 6th Annual “Welcome Back” concert, featuring headliner R&B singer Kat Dahlia and alternative rock band Wallpaper, on Oct. 3,  on the Agora Stage, presented by Associated Students Incorporated (ASI).

“I saw Kat Dahlia in concert in Berlin, Germany in the summer. It was a huge surprise to see her again at my school and to meet her personally,” said Alexandra Torrance, a senior at CSUEB.

Students gathered around enjoying the warm weather and the free, live musical performance by two popular artists, Wallpaper from the Bay Area, and Billboard named most influential singer Kat Dahlia, who performed her smash hit “Gangsta.”

Dahlia, 23, who writes her own songs, did not get the opportunity to complete college.

“My song ‘Mirror’ is about us all being united and that we are all here for a purpose and that no one should ever have to settle for less,” admitted Dahlia. “Study whatever interests you and that will always stick with you. I wanted to make a change so I left Miami and moved to New York to get my music career started.”

Dahlia mentioned to the audience that she really supports students in school furthering their education and that she was very pleased to perform at “Welcome Back” for the students at CSUEB.

Freshman Sulia McKinney is excited for what other events ASI has to offer now that CSUEB is her new home.

“It was nice to have a surprise concert,” she said. “It was outrageous to even have a concert at the campus. East Bay is very fun no matter what time of the day it is.”

According to junior and ASI Event Specialist Labecca Thomas, some students mentioned being unable to attend the events due to their class schedule. Another  common problem is students not being on campus. This can be attributed to the fact that CSUEB is considered as a commuter school. Getting the word out about  upcoming events can be difficult for these reasons, mentioned Thomas.

However the event gave students who had breaks during 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. time to watch the whole performance, which also resulted in some students having to watch the show on-the-go as they walked to class.

“Last year we had R&B singer Elle Varner and alternative band Neighborhood, we always try to add different demographics and genres of music,” said Thomas. “We communicate with the students through ASI email, Instagram and especially Twitter; so we can take surveys and ask their opinions on who they want to see and how we can improve our events. We are very hands-on.”

“It’s a really great way to jump start the new school year off with the new wave of freshmen, so we can showcase what ASI is about and what to expect during the school years,” said Kristi Stewart, senior at East Bay and ASI’s event supervisor.

“Planning events can be sometimes difficult when it comes to insurance and security, but it’s doable. The hardest part is working with a budget that isn’t constant. Students work very hard at CSU East Bay and they deserve great quality performers. This time is dedicated to students to take a break from studying and to enjoy the college experience and entertainment,” explained Stewart.

This year was Stewart’s first time putting together an event and she is working on much more to come such as the Indie concert Nov. 7 and the biggest event, Spring Fest, which happens at the end of each school year.

“We’ve had previous artists like J.Cole, Kendrick Lamar and even Kevin Hart perform at our school so it’s important to me that I work hard to bring in great artists and comedians. If I could have it my way I would want Drake to perform for Spring Fest. I’m very optimistic, I know whatever I choose it will be someone that students love or majority know of.” said Stewart.

Be on the lookout for future events presented by ASI.