 "Photo: Ben Hicks")
The Parade Ground turned into a free all-day music festival Saturday, as five diverse bands played Groovin' on the Grounds. Chamillionaire captured the spirit of the day by telling the dancing crowd "Y'all need to be sweatin'."
Students On Target hosted Grammy-winning artists Wyclef Jean and Chamillionaire, along with pop-rock artists Ingram Hill, Matt Wertz and LSU Battle of the Bands winner Greg Talmage.
Attendees agreed this year's music was as good as the weather.
Micaela Degruy, SOT director, said this year, the organization gave stronger focus to the lineup, hosting five bands instead of this past year's three.
"We have gotten the best feedback ever this year," Degruy said. "The lineup was diverse, and everybody has been pretty happy."
Degruy said the purpose of Groovin' is to promote having "a good time not wasted" with an alcohol- and drug-free set of concerts.
She said SOT wants to do more than just tell students they can have a good time without alcohol.
"We want to provide an alternative to drinking," Degruy said. "So we hosted an all day function where people can come and go and catch live music for eight hours."
Talmage said he was pleased to see SOT supporting a positive message proactively.
"Groups who have something good to say are often overshadowed," Talmage said. "Students On Target has a great impact by giving people an enjoyable alternative."
Wertz said he supported the group's message.
"I'm all for it," Wertz said. "Alcohol can be a crutch, and when it becomes a prerequisite to having fun, we need to re-examine our lives."
Students said they were excited to see the big names that were booked.
"I love Matt Wertz and Wyclef," said Patrick Radecker, civil engineering sophomore. "I like that more people are playing."
Biology senior Trent Swisher said he attended Groovin' on the Grounds two years ago when the Ying Yang Twins played, and he said this year's lineup was an improvement.
"Chamillionaire and Wyclef are much better," Swisher said.
Even Matt Wertz agreed, saying he was excited to see Wyclef Jean.
"Every artist brought a unique energy that rounded out the lineup well," Wertz said.
Besides enjoying the music of Groovin' on the Grounds, the crowd was pleased with the weather. It was sunny and temperatures stayed in the '60s for most of the day.
"It was an absolutely beautiful day," Wertz said. "It couldn't have been a better atmosphere for music."
Groovin' on the Grounds attendees thought the message SOT supports is a positive and effective one.
"This is awesome because I don't drink," said University alumna Lacie Dean. "It's a good thing for the LSU community."
Students also enjoyed the fact that Groovin' on the Grounds was different than many other Baton Rouge activities.
"It's during the day, and there is no alcohol," said microbiology sophomore Bennet Hailey. "It's a different crowd, and it's a good direction for LSU."
"I even saw some sober dancers earlier," Swisher said with a laugh.
Talmage said he enjoyed Groovin' on the Grounds because it brought people together.
"Honestly, I love music and music events," Talmage said. "This brought a large group of the Baton Rouge community together to celebrate music. The community needs events like this."
Wyclef Jean made comments supporting Barrack Obama during the concert, along with the statement "Fuck George Bush," and "Fuck Bin Laden."
Crowds responded well to the rules of Groovin' on the Grounds.
Despite some "minor disagreements" which were handled by the LSUPD, no arrests were made.
"We had few if no problems," said LSUPD captain Russel Roge. "Most people abided by the rules."
---- Contact Blake Stephens at bstephens@lsureveille.com
