Before the clock struck 7 p.m., a stampede of students raced through the O’Dome’s doors, flooding the seats of UF’s premier basketball stadium and performance arena.
Thursday, the Stephen C. O’Connell Center celebrated 100 years of Gator Growl, inviting UF students and the city of Gainesville to the party.
After a couple of hours of entertainment, announcements and promotional material, the lights faded to black, and the stage lit up for the anticipated act of the night: 34-year-old pop and R&B singer-songwriter Jason Derulo.
“UF, did y'all come to this sh*t to party?” he said repeatedly upon entrance in an effort to energize the crowd.
But before Derulo, born Jason Desrouleaux, stomped on stage, he was preceded by rap musician Sammy Adams, the results of Homecoming court, Gator cheers and dances, and messages from athletic players and coaches of the university.
The event was organized by Gator Growl, UF’s student-run pep rally and the largest of that in the nation, which celebrates one century of activity at the university.
Adams, a 36-year-old native of the Greater Boston area, was scheduled as Derulo’s opening act. He began his career in 2008 recording music in his college dorm room. Since, he has performed at events such as Lollapalooza and made lists such as the Billboard 200.
“We’re here for a f**king good time, not a f**king long time,” he said between songs. Among his original releases he sang included “L.A. Story,” “Dr. Phil” and “All Night Longer.”
Between Adams and Derulo was the announcement of Homecoming court champions. Taking the title of 2023 UF Homecoming King was media production, management and technology senior Joseph Rhinvil. The title of 2023 UF Homecoming Queen was announced to be business master’s student Naomi Rozenberg.
Derulo appeared on stage with his opening number around 9 p.m. in a black and blue jacket and ripped black jeans, surrounded by a mix of male and female backup dancers. Derulo began his performance with his first single, “Whatcha Say,” originally released in 2009.
Derulo followed his debut number with more than 15 of his most popular singles, including “Wiggle, “Take You Dancing,” “Trumpets,” “The Other Side,” “Talk Dirty” and “Savage Love,” which he said was made famous on TikTok in 2020.
Before the end of his set, he previewed his upcoming single, “Hands on Me” featuring Meghan Trainor, which is set to be released Oct. 13, he said. The song imitates the instrumental stylings and melody of Ben E. King’s 1962 single “Stand By Me.”
After roughly an hour of non-stop singing and dancing, Derulo closed with his 2015 single, “Want to Want Me” from the album, “Everything is 4.” As the song neared its end, confetti came streaming down from the ceiling into the pit.
Gina Colon is a 21-year-old UF nursing senior who was among the crowd at the O'Connell Center.
“I thought it was fun,” she said. “He performed all his good songs.”
She cited her favorite number as “Swalla,” to which Derulo had the audience respond with “Swalla-la-la” to his “Shimmy shimmy yay, shimmy yay, shimmy ya” in a back-and-forth.
Before leaving the stage, Derulo, shirtless, expressed his gratitude for performing at UF and left inspirational words for the crowd.
“A lot of craziness going on in the world right now, a lot of negativity,” he said. “Whatever is good, whatever is right will prevail.”
His words come in the wake of sexual assault allegations released against him by Emaza Gibson, a 25-year-old musical artist, Thursday morning.
In continuing its centennial commemoration, Gator Growl plans to participate in the annual Homecoming parade, host the Gator Gallop run and help put on the Homecoming Festival at 9:30 a.m. Friday at UF’s Plaza of America.
Contact Jared Teitel at jteitel@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @jaredteitel.
Jared Teitel is a third-year journalism major, and this is his second semester as an Avenue reporter. In his free time, he enjoys running, shopping, and drinking coffee.
