As the lights dimmed in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, the ground shook with students rising from their seats and introductory music reverberating through mega speakers attached to the ceiling. From the stage, a white fluorescent streak of light emerged through the smoke, crossing to point into the crowd. Then, from the wings, the long-awaited star of the night emerged.
“Oh man, University of Florida, what’s poppin’?” Joey Bada$$ yelled into his microphone, kicking off his set for the night as well as the start of the Fall semester.
Joey Bada$$ and Jean Deaux took to the stage to play a UF student-only concert at the O’Connell Center Wednesday night.
Lorenzo Vasquez is a third-year marketing major and a staff photographer at the Alligator. He is also a student sports photographer for the Florida Gators UAA department. You can find him lifting heavy circles at the gym or working at one of his three other jobs.
Gators win national championship
Apr. 8Beer, firecrackers and chants of “it’s great to be a Florida Gator” were flung in the air as the Gators won the national championship, quickly prompting spectators to jump out of their chairs and over the fence onto Second Avenue.
Final Four: How Gainesville celebrated its victory
Apr. 7When UF’s Final Four matchup against the Auburn Tigers ended in triumph, Gainesville roared. Students stormed the streets. Bar floors shook. Fireworks exploded. The Gators had just advanced to their first National Championship since 2007. Take a look at how the city celebrated.
Remembering UF student Nyla Holland
Mar. 10Holland, a UF animal sciences sophomore, died in Gainesville March 2. She was 20 years old. Family and friends remember Holland as a resilient, energetic and loving jack-of-all-trades.