Reggae band Rebelution will be headlining the personal checks concert in Krzyzewskiville Thursday.
Rebelution does not fit the traditional mold of K-ville performers, said Julia Hawkins, a senior and chair of Duke University Union’s Major Attractions committee. The concert is sponsored by DUU and the Duke Line Monitors.
“We normally do a hip-hop or rap show for K-ville, but we thought we’d take it a different direction,” Hawkins said.
Campus record label Small Town Records will sponsor the opening performers, including Duke band Point Break. DUU had booked a couple of other opening performers previously, but those plans fell through, Hawkins noted.
Major Attractions had been considering Rebelution as a performer for a campus event since last Spring, Hawkins said. Earlier in the year, Major Attractions asked students what artists they wanted to see on campus and found that reggae was a popular request.
“The greatest thing about this genre is that you don’t need to know the songs, and you can still really enjoy it,” Hawkins said.
The annual show, which takes place at the culmination of the tenting season, started four years ago as a method to excite students for the upcoming rivalry basketball game against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This year’s concert will take place March 1, and the game will follow March 3. Past artists have included Chiddy Bang, OK Go and Matt & Kim.
Hawkins said the recent increased attention paid to Rebelution made them an exciting choice for the K-ville show. The group released an album last month, which debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard Top 200 charts—the highest debut in the group’s history.
Head Line Monitor Ellie Garrett, a senior, said that although DUU was largely responsible for bringing Rebelution to campus, she was looking forward to the concert and what it represents.
“We just want people to be there and have a good time,” Garrett said. “It’s a lot about community building. People have gotten to know each other pretty well over the last few months, and this is about celebrating the end of tenting and getting ready for the Carolina game.”
Evan Williams, a freshman who participated in blue tenting, said that even though he is unfamiliar with the band, he appreciates the unorthodox choice.
“If nothing else, I think it’ll be interesting because it’s different,” Williams said.
Hawkins added that even if some students do not know Rebelution’s music, the concert is largely about bringing the campus together.
“The K-ville show is to celebrate several weeks of grueling tenting, and it’s supposed to get everyone excited for the Duke-UNC game and unify the campus,” Hawkins said. “Reggae does that.”
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