On Saturday April 1, four Interfraternity Council (IFC) fraternities came together to host Backpack in Black, a charity concert, at the Royal Grove. The event was put on by fraternities Beta Theta Pi, Phi Delta Theta, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Pi Kappa Alpha.
The philanthropy was able to raise over $14,000, with all proceeds going to Bryan Health. People were able to buy tickets over a week in advance as well as purchase tickets and t-shirts at the venue.
The philanthropy Backpack in Black has been held in one form or another since the fall of 2013 by Sigma Phi Epsilon along with two other fraternities. The philanthropy originally donated all proceeds towards the city of Lincoln’s backpack program; however, the name has not been changed. The first band of the night represented Sigma Phi Epsilon, kicking off the night right at 8 p.m.
Blind Searcher, a band made up of Phi Delta Theta members, was the second band of the night to perform. They describe their sound as energetic and high-octane, leaning into a heavier style of rock and metal music, playing classics from Metallica, The Doors and their own newly released single “Mephistopheles.”
Phi Delta Theta band Blind Searcher plays a set during the Backpack in Black philanthropy concert at the Royal Grove on April 1, 2023, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
“It’s great to be able to play at a charity concert like this, especially when there are so many people here. It can also be a challenge though because we play music that the average college student doesn’t necessarily listen to,” said Kalon Cooper, a junior nutrition and health science major and lead singer of the band.
After the crowd roared, chanting “Phi Delt,” and Blind Searcher wrapped up their 45-minute set, the next fraternity band entered the stage.
The third band of the night was the Pi Kappa Alpha band. Also known as “Pike” on campus, the band was made up of four different members from the fraternity. They played a wide variety of hits from artists such as Gavin DeGraw and Weezer, and they ended their set with Miley Cyrus’ hit “Party In The U.S.A.”
The band representing Pi Kappa Alpha performs during the Backpack in Black philanthropy concert at the Royal Grove on April 1, 2023, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Parking Lot Party was the last band of the night to perform, representing the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. The band describes themselves as having no genre and no limits, and the crowd could certainly hear it in their setlist. The group jumped from Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls” to The Arctic Monkeys’ “505,” even switching genres by performing Zach Bryan’s hit “Revival.”
Though they were the last band of four to play at the show, the crowd was strong and singing along to every one of their songs.
Ryan Kenney, a junior sports media and marketing major and the lead singer for the Pike band, acknowledged the importance of all of the organizations coming together in order to support a cause.
“Despite being in four organizations with, you know, different ideals, different motives, we’re able to come together to support one cause in a really awesome way,” Kenney said.
Maddie Ames contributed to the reporting of this article.
culture@dailynebraskan.com
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