Hippo Campus Ends UW-Milwaukee Homecoming with a Bang

Rising indie stars Hippo Campus captivated students on October 6 with a wildly energetic and, many students felt, impressive show in UW-Milwaukee’s own Union Ballroom – closing the book on UWM’s debut Homecoming week.

The event drew in over 300 students on a Thursday night and set the stage for a (possible) new UWM tradition.

With a retention rate of 65 percent, it’s clear that UWM sometimes struggles to create that “campus” feel for some students. Even with Fall Welcome week, the sense of togetherness fades away quickly into the semester. The Campus Activities Board and Student Housing Administrative Council thought to bring the campus together once again for Homecoming Week – a UWM first.

The mission of UWM’s first homecoming week was simple – have students come together to create a stronger bond. Through this bond, CAB and SHAC hope that Homecoming will become a UWM tradition for the years to come.

Soon enough, black-and-gold posters began to scatter the halls of the Union, residence halls and even some academic buildings. The posters promoted events reminiscent of Fall Welcome, such as laser tag, a late night dance and athletic events. For UWM, Pantherfest is the only major musical event held. Seeing a poster for another concert was mildly surprising, even more when the artist is someone you recognize.

Hippo Campus, hailing from the sister state of Minnesota, was set to play at UWM on Oct. 6. For many students, the name is slightly recognizable from their airplay on FM 102.1 and performance at this year’s Summerfest and Lollapalooza. Hippo Campus have also been seen on Conan O’Brien and have toured with indie rock top-dogs Modest Mouse and My Morning Jacket, since their formation in 2013.

With their steadily rising success, one can speculate on how UWM managed to book such a notable artist among college students, especially for their first Homecoming. According to Late Night Events Coordinator of CAB, Gretchen Turner, the booking process was a collaborative effort among CAB and SHAC, with many meetings and discussions.

“We thought this kind of youthful excitement was something that would greatly benefit Homecoming,” said Turner when explaining the process. Students and staff came together to choose Hippo Campus and The Middle Ground as the inaugural musical acts, and the result was better than expected.

Over 300 students filled the Union Wisconsin Room on a Thursday night, anxiously awaiting the UWM debut of The Middle Ground and Hippo Campus.

The Middle Ground, a band formed in Milwaukee and then relocated to Nashville, started the night off with an energized alt-rock set, shifting the quiet atmosphere of the room by the time they walked off stage. Vocalist Joe Neary mentioned Milwaukee several times, winning over the audience a little more each time.

When Neary announced that the next song was about Lake Michigan, the crowd gave the biggest cheer of the night. The Middle Ground also covered the recent hit, “Here” by Alessia Cara, causing a sing-along to arise from the audience. Upon closing out the set, Neary also announced that they will return to Milwaukee for an album release show. Judging by the claps and cheers of the crowd, they’ll definitely have an audience when they return.

Crowd anticipation was clearly higher in the room after such an enticing and lively set. More and more students started to crowd the tile floor and shift around eagerly on their feet. While crew members set up for Hippo Campus’ debut, Turner took the stage alongside a member of SHAC, bucket in tow. Turner taps the microphone, announcing that they will be drawing winners of a raffle. The prize? An exclusive meet-and-greet with Hippo Campus after the show. Once winners were announced, the crowd grew impossibly more eager for their arrival.

Minutes later, members of Hippo Campus walk onto stage one-by-one, crowd screams growing louder with each added member. The front row is the most excited, inferring from the screams and jumping, one could guess they were the biggest fans in the room. Vocalist Jake Luppen welcomes students to their show, and expresses pure excitement for their debut at UWM. Bassist Zach Sutton holds a stage presence much like 80s alt-rockers, completely immersed in their instrument and the music. As the set goes on, the fans become just as immersed in the indie-rock anthems of Hippo Campus. Students are jumping, singing and cheering as they play their biggest hit, “Suicide Saturday”, to conclude the show.

The energy doesn’t stop once Hippo Campus leaves the stage and students leave the Wisconsin Room. It’s clear that this event was a success judging solely by the number of smiles seen and laughter and sing-alongs heard from students as they leave the Union.

“I think the homecoming concert is a really good way to bring more bands to UWM, especially ones that are smaller and more local to Milwaukee,” said sophomore Auburn Geller. “I think it’s really cool to get them [Hippo Campus] into Milwaukee and show the students that they’re a really awesome band.”

Late Night Event Coordinator spoke on why UWM chose to host a concert among all the other Homecoming events. “Music is something that brings people together,” said Turner. “This concert could be a great stepping stone to the rich Homecoming tradition we would like to begin.”