Returning in-person for the first time since 2019, Bullstock made a high energy comeback with headliners DREAMERS, Olivia O’Brien and Neon Trees.
Courtesy of Nolan Fisher | The Crow’s Nest
By Molly Ryan
Bullstock 2022 — where 2010s nostalgia met social media virality at its first in-person return to the University of South Florida since 2019 last Friday.
The university tradition made its comeback for Tampa campus’s USF Week with performances by DREAMERS, Olivia O’Brien and Neon Trees.
Before the main show, the “Fan Favorite” winners of USF’s March 24 Battle of the Bands’ competition, Hybris, opened with a cover of Bon Jovi’s “Runaway,” followed by an original song and ended with the Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ 1981 classic “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
Battle of the Bands’ “Judge’s Choice” winners, mokatheband, got the crowd singing Billie Eilish’s popular hit “Happier Than Ever,” and a throwback to 2008 with Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl.”
For first-time attendees like Kasper McCallum, a junior integrated public relations and advertising major at the Tampa campus, arriving just after doors opened at 5 p.m. was essential in securing a front-row spot.
“The experience was great,” McCallum said. “I was able to achieve a spot right at the barricade, which made the night amazing being able to interact with the artists up close.”
As the crowds trickled in, DREAMERS kicked off the main lineup at 7:30 p.m.
DREAMERS gave the Bulls a set to remember that included a dedication to a member in the crowd and a blend of the band’s hits, new and unreleased songs.
O’Brien kept the crowd’s energy high, performing viral hits like her 2016 feature on Gnash’s “I Hate U, I Love U” and her 2020 diss to ex-boyfriend and YouTuber Logan Paul, “Josslyn.”
According to McCallum, O’Brien had an “insane stage presence, leaving myself and the crowd awestruck and involved [the whole way] through.”
By the time the headlining act, Neon Trees, took the stage, the crowd’s nostalgia was in full swing.
Opening with “Moving in the Dark,” their set featured the band’s biggest hits like “Animal” and “Sleeping with a Friend.”
Ending their set with the 2012 staple “Everybody Talks,” Neon Trees “had the crowd jumping and screaming at the top of their lungs,” according to McCallum.
“The event was filled with engaged crowds and artists who entertained from start to finish,” McCallum said. “The expectations I had were very close to how the concert turned out. I had expected a very entertaining show and was absolutely blown away.”
