BYU welcomed DJ Kascade to Helaman Fields on Oct. 11 celebrating the annual Fan Jam with a night of lights, dance and music.
Kaskade is a DJ who has performed at the Superbowl, been nominated at the Grammys and remained an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He came to BYU on Friday to perform a 90-minute set at the annual Fan Jam during Homecoming week.
According to Anna Metcalf, the director of marketing and fan experience, Fan Jam began a few years ago as a way to make Homecoming week bigger for BYU students. In the past, it has been a free event, with local DJs coming to play.
“We had kind of a prior relationship with him (Kascade), but hadn't been able to make a show happen,” Metcalf said. "We're able to finally pull it off.”
With the famous DJ agreeing to come, changes were needed in terms of tech and budget. Metcalf said they hired someone from the outside who runs these types of events to help with the tech.
“Kascade’s team travels with him … we provide the actual, physical tech … but they handle the actual production itself,” Metcalf said.
For the first time, the ROC had to charge for tickets to Fan Jam. But the price of $10 didn’t hold back the many BYU students who attended.
“Kascade’s tickets sell for like 200 bucks, usually, and the fact that it was so cheap; it was just so fun,” Winston Platt, a BYU student studying statistics, said.
Wesley Platt agreed with his brother, saying Kascade was a big name artist, and added that Fan Jam helped people get ready for the game on Saturday.
“It's just hype being with everybody else. I think people are hyped for the game tomorrow, obviously, so it's kind of a free party,” Wesley Platt said.
During the event, Kascade played a variety of popular songs, adding his own artistic touch to the remixes and melodies.
Lizzie Lough, a BYU pre-med student, thought it was cool that Kascade came to BYU.
“The DJ has been phenomenal, and the vibes are just top notch,” Lough said.
The event provided a party for students to enjoy, and provided various other items of entertainment as well. Glow sticks and sunglasses were passed out to students, food trucks were available on the field and fireworks went off at the nearby baseball and football stadiums.
Cosmo the Cougar and members of Big Noon Kickoff also made an appearance, meeting enthusiastic cheers from the audience.
“The hope is just to make Homecoming week a bigger deal and make it feel like it's truly a unifying week and experience for students,” Metcalf said. “It's a night that they can enjoy and kind of like get in game mode.”
For students who may have missed this year's performance, stay tuned for next year’s Fan Jam.
“The hope is that it just gets bigger every year,” Metcalf said.
