On Nov. 15, ASI Events welcomed indie music artist Dayglow and local band Couch Dog to Cal Poly’s Recreation Center Main Gym for a night of good music and enjoyment, Katie Pierce, ASI Student Musical Entertainment Coordinator and math sophomore, said.
The event was free to all students with a PolyCard and government-issued ID, first come first served. Couch Dog went on from 7 – 7:45 p.m. and Dayglow, from 8:30 – 10 p.m. Following the event, Pierce estimated that roughly 1,500 students were in attendance.
Dayglow, lead by singer-songwriter Sloan Struble, has over one billion streams on all platforms and his single “Can I Call You Tonight?” achieved platinum status by the Recording Industry Association of America, according to Magnetic Magazine. Though Struble has toured all over the world, this event marked his first time in San Luis Obispo, Struble told Mustang News.
“It’s so sick to be here in SLO and to perform here,” Struble said. “It’s my first time here and from just being in the area today, I can tell that it’s such a cool place.”
For Pablo Acosta, Couch Dog lead guitar player and 2022 business alum, the event was a special opportunity for his band to play at a more professional venue with a larger audience.
“We play at a lot of house shows which are normally much more lowkey and this setup tonight was legit,” Acosta said. “ASI put on quite the show, the stage and sound quality were next level. SLO is a really special place for us and we were so happy to be a part of such a cool show.”
Before Couch Dog’s last song, Acosta called for a ceasefire regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“Since we are lucky enough to be on stage tonight, we wanted to use our platform tonight to call for a ceasefire,” Acosta said to the crowd. “Call your [state] representatives, email [them]. We want to use our energy for good and for peace. We support a ceasefire, and you should, too.”
Before the event began, ASI Events held a meet-and-greet giveaway on their Instagram and selected 15 students to meet Dayglow. One of those students was biochemistry sophomore Kaitlyn Le, who has been a fan of Dayglow since 2019.
“I especially love Dayglow’s older music, I listened to him a lot in quarantine, so his music brings back so many memories,” Le said. “Dayglow totally fits Cal Poly’s vibe; he’s chill, down to earth, humble and it was really cool to meet him.”
Plant science junior Annica Wu was also selected to meet Dayglow. She said the experience was extra special because Dayglow has been an inspiration for her, both as a performer and as a songwriter.
“Dayglow is such an inspiration to me musically,” Wu said. “I’m in a band and I’m starting to make my own music and Dayglow’s music has a very distinctive sound and style that I love. I’ve never met anyone famous like this that I’ve really looked up to before, so being here and having the chance to meet him meant so much.”
Throughout his set, Struble played his most popular songs as well as some covers, such as “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears. Near the end of his performance, Struble expressed his gratitude to the audience.
“I never would’ve thought any of this would happen,” Struble told the crowd. “The fact that I get to play at colleges and get invited to do cool stuff like this is so crazy and I’m so grateful to everyone who supports me and listens to my music.”
Correction: This article was updated at 2:58 p.m. to correct a name misspelling and an incorrect major.