A throwback feel for Fall Fest
CAB’s Student Director Kayla Matthews discusses this year’s Homecoming Concert, featuring T-Pain and Shy Glizzy
By Kyle Hobstetter on October 21, 2018
One of the hardest parts about being on Towson University’s Campus Activities Board (CAB) is keeping the secret about who’s playing the annual campus concerts.
So when CAB finally announced who will be playing this year’s Fall Fest, student director Kayla Matthews ‘19 wasn’t only excited, she also felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders.
“We don’t have to keep it a secret anymore,” Matthews laughed. “We really wanted to take our time with Fall Fest. We started thinking about this concert in June, so this has been four months in the making.”
Fall Fest, which serves as the official opening event for Homecoming Week, will take place on Saturday, October 27, at SECU Arena, with doors opening at 7 p.m. and the show at 8 p.m. This year’s performers include headliner T-Pain, opening act Shy Glizzy and guest rapper JD.
When planning for Fall Fest, Matthews remembered a suggestion that CAB received last year about doing a throwback concert. The first name that came to mind was rapper T-Pain, who has seen a career resurgence this year, playing multiple music festivals including the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival and the Life is Beautiful Festival.
After seeing T-Pain was available for the date CAB had scheduled SECU Arena, Matthews was excited to bring him back to the Towson University campus — he played TU’s 2008 Homecoming Concert as well.
“His concerts are amazing,” Matthews said. “He may not have done anything recently, but he has some hits from back in the day that are really good that people jam to. And I think it’s better when people at concerts know all the songs and can sing along, because it lets you be more interactive with the concert.”
Along with having the throwback element with T-Pain, CAB will bring in upcoming rapper Shy Glizzy. The Washington, D.C., native released his first studio album on October 12.
With the contracts signed and the dates booked, Matthews was proud of the work that her CAB Board has put into Fall Fest. Many board members are in their second year of working with CAB, so they have multiple concerts under their belt.
So for first-time director Matthews, having such an experienced board made her job a lot easier because they understood what needed to be done.
“If I ever was stressed they always stepped in to do what needed to be done,” Matthews said. “I love my board, and I wouldn’t change any of them. I think they did an amazing job.”
Matthews, a senior mass communication major[BROKEN LINK] with a dual track in public relations and advertising, is in her fourth year in CAB as well as in her fourth different position. In addition to serving as director, she has been a general member, chair of programming and assistant director of programming.
Growing up in Prince George’s County, she was heavily involved with clubs and activities at Largo High School. So when she got to TU, she knew she wanted to get involved instantly.
“I’ve always loved event planning and things like that,” Matthews said. “When I was a freshman, an RA in my building was part of the CAB board. She talked about it so well, she said it was so fun and a good way to get involved at TU. Coming from a background where I was super involved in high school, it just felt perfect for me.”
With Fall Fest ready to go, Matthews is already getting questions about the annual spring Tigerfest concert. According to her, CAB started to work on Tigerfest planning in September.
“Please stay tuned,” she said with a smile. “This Tigerfest will be the best yet; that’s all I can say.”