Recently, I have heard a lot of discourse on campus surrounding AMP and their spring concert March 29 that featured Daya, MisterWives and Ari Lennox. Many students were displeased with the artists chosen for the show and more specifically expressed irritation that AMP did not give students a say when picking the artists. Instead, there was a surprise reveal over spring break, with hints, as to who the artists would be, posted on AMP’s Facebook page.
While I did not attend the event — it’s midterms season — from an outsider’s perspective, I do not think AMP members deserve the anger directed towards them. My friends that attended the concert had a great time, especially since, with only a small chunk of the student body in attendance, they were able to get excellent seats. They said MisterWives rocked their socks off, commented that Daya was a great and genuine singer, and remarked that Ari Lennox was super cool. This news wasn’t surprising to me — the AMP committees in charge of planning the events know what they are doing — and I believe AMP has had some pretty cool events this year.
I try to attend AMP events as frequently as I can, especially since the access I have to cool, free stuff every weekend will be gone in just two short years when I graduate. Every AMP event I have been to during my time at the College of William and Mary has been nothing short of lovely, and frankly they just keep getting better with time. Just this week I attended QueerBrew, one of AMP’s Homebrew shows specifically put on to support the LGBTQ+ community. Not only was the event inclusive and inviting, but the music was great. I loved seeing some of my closest friends filling Lodge One with their beautiful voices and pride for who they are.
I also recently attended one of AMP’s speaker events, where I got to see Tarana Burke speak about how she started the #MeToo movement and how her experiences got her to that point. It was incredibly lucky that I won a ticket in the lottery to see her, and that the tickets were completely free, thanks to AMP. AMP’s nine committees bring a plethora of fun and free activities to students at the College every week, some of which are so popular that lines go out the door, including Bob Ross Paint Night, which I am still bitter about missing.
Whether you’re interested in glow stick zumba, late night comedy or science and sustainability, there’s bound to be an AMP event for you, and the hard work that AMP committee members put into each event adds up. Hours of planning behind-the-scenes, meticulous advertising, and set-up and clean-up before and after events are all laborious tasks. We take for granted the opportunities we have to learn and enjoy all these new things while we’re in college. It’ll be a rude awakening to graduate and discover that the kind of events that AMP puts on cost money in the real world! So, while you’re still here, head out to an AMP event or two, goof around with pals, learn more about a culture you’re unfamiliar with or listen to some sweet tunes. You’ll be thanking them later.
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