By Bryan Doan, Sept. 3, 2024
Thousands of students lined up for Cal Poly Pomona’s annual Bronco Fusion Aug. 23 to watch popular hip-hop artist J.I.D and Latin pop singer Monique Hasbun, the headliners for the show, along with student performers ANT and ZombieLoaf, who earned their spots through a campus-wide vote.
With vibrant strobes lighting up the stage and the audience, J.I.D brought an energy to the night that was felt by the crowd. Students were on their feet, cheering for his rhythmic flow. The rapper delivered a set filled with his original hits such as “Never” and “Stars.” His lyrics resonated through the air, drawing cheers from the audience, while his energetic movements had fans jumping and cheering along.
“I really enjoyed the energy of the crowd, everyone was having fun and getting down with the set list of the artist,” said Nathan Lo, a finance, real estate and law student. “J.I.D was very good. Toward the end, people just requested a bunch of songs, and he performed them for the first 30 seconds of it but because he was way over his time.”
Adding a special touch to the evening, J.I.D treated the crowd to a freestyle rap, showcasing his lyrical skills. The crowd feeding off his energy made the headlining performance a memorable part of Bronco Fusion.
The festival, held outside the BRIC, featured not only a variety of live punk, pop and hip-hop performances but activities, including mini golf, an inflatable photo booth and carnival games. Students also enjoy food trucks that offered donuts, Greek cuisine and chicken sandwiches.
The campus anticipated the popularity of the event with a ticket cap of 5,000 to meet the demand from students excited to kick off the semester.
During her set, Hasbun played guitar on a classic cover of “Hotel California,” which had students dancing and singing along. Hasbun thanked the crowd for the fun atmosphere and expressed her appreciation. She mentioned in an interview with the Poly Post that she would love to return in the future.
Criminology student Anthony Robbins, also known by his stage name ANT, opened the festival with a thumping mix of house music and reggaeton as the sun set over the crowd. Students danced and cheered, creating an energetic atmosphere that set the tone for the performances that followed.
ZombieLoaf, a punk-inspired band consisting of CPP music students Damien Torres and Jack Blake, along with Xander Vasquez and Dan Pastor bounced all over the stage. The band brought the energy with covers such as Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff,” and tossed out their band t-shirts to the audience at the finale.
“I know we haven’t played yet, but I know it’s going to be the best feeling in the world,” said Torres. “We had just played a cool show, and we were like, ‘Damn, what’s going to be the next big thing?’ Then the next day, we got the call saying we get to perform at Bronco Fusion. This is very exciting for us, and we hope it opens the door for more opportunities.”
For the first time at this year’s Bronco Fusion, student performers were chosen through a campus-wide vote from a pool of 11 finalists decided through a series of auditions.
“For them, this is their profession or passion, and it’s a great opportunity to give them the spotlight to perform on such a large stage,” said Roger Fang, coordinator for the BEAT Program. “I think what makes it special, aside from our headliner, is that we give students a platform to showcase their talent.”
Feature image courtesy of Bryan Doan