Students will be “Like Whoa” when they hear that Aly & AJ are headlining the TBT Concert.
Ohio University’s University Program Council, or UPC, will host the annual “Throwback Thursday” or TBT concert on Thursday, March 24, at a to-be-determined time, free to students, with Aly & AJ as the selected throwback performers.
Aly & AJ are known for their hit songs “Potential Breakup Song,” “Like Whoa” and “Into the Rush” as well as their new album A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up on Your Feet Gets You Out and Then Into the Sun and their Disney channel appearances in the movie Cow Belles and Aly’s role in the show Phil of the Future.
“I think people are going to be really excited to be honest,” Abby Spencer, a senior and the university events vice chair for UPC, said. “We saw them on screen, and now, they’re starting to make a comeback and return.”
The past few years of TBT concerts have featured male artists, so Spencer and the rest of UPC were eager to find a woman to perform.
Similarly to the way UPC’s Bachelor Night event operates, UPC staff has a producer they work with whom sends them a list of people who could potentially be selected for the night. Though there were some other great choices on the list, Aly & AJ seemed like a no-brainer, Spencer said.
Apart from their well-known fame through screen and music, Aly & AJ are two women who were role models for a lot of young people and are powerful presences, Spencer said.
“We really found that they stood out over everyone, just because of who they were, and they had more songs people knew,” Spencer said. “It was between them and a couple male artists, and we're like, ‘We need to do them’ because we haven't had a female in forever.”
Spearheading this event is Jemma Downey, a junior and the creative events head chair for UPC. Assisting her is Reagan Goldberg, a junior and the creative events vice chair for UPC, who has a personal love for Aly & AJ and is thrilled about their upcoming performance.
“I think it’s definitely a change of pace to have a woman artist here,” Goldberg said, “To have every woman in the audience feel empowered hearing the music, I think it’s definitely going to be a different vibe, which will be exciting to see.”
Both Spencer and Goldberg are so happy to provide a once in a lifetime opportunity for students to come see artists they’ve known for so many years and may not otherwise have the chance to see. Additionally, the fact that UPC is able to offer the concert free of charge to students is a huge appeal, Goldberg said, because some students wouldn’t be able to afford concerts like this otherwise.
“I think that honestly is what makes my heart so happy, is being able to provide those opportunities for people who might not have the luxury to do it constantly,” Goldberg said. “You get to have those memories that will last a lifetime.”
Spencer and Goldberg encourage students to keep on the lookout for more information regarding the show and make sure they mark the date in their calendars to come see Aly & AJ in action.
“These opportunities don't come around very often, and you definitely want to take them as they come because you definitely want to live life to the fullest,” Goldberg said. “You don't want to look back at a college experience and have regrets because are you going to remember the one movie you watched on Netflix or the one show you watched on Netflix that one time, or are you going to remember a concert that was such a unique experience? I think the answer is obvious: you would want to go and have that unique experience and add it to your list of college memories.”
For more information on reserving tickets or the event in general, check out UPC’s Instagram.
