Students amped for Devilpalooza 2024 just around the corner
Sun Devils gather for Devilpalooza 2022. Photo by ASU
The thrill of live music coursing through your body. Crowds of Sun Devils dancing the night away in a jam-packed arena. Electric performances back to back — from local bands to a famous celebrity headliner. The cool night air greets you as you leave, reminiscing on what you witnessed with your friends.
This is the atmosphere surrounding Devilpalooza, an annual music festival free for Sun Devils, that brings together campus culture and the local music scene for one energy-packed night of fun. This year's event will take place April 19, and headliner Steve Aoki was just announced.
As one of the largest on-campus events of the year, Devilpalooza requires a full team of programmers and student workers to put on one of Arizona State University’s most legendary shows.
Alan Neri, one of the student workers this year, is a third-year student studying construction management at the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. Neri is the vice president of programs for the Programming and Activities Board (PAB) at ASU. He also plans events full time outside of school.
Devilpalooza
What: Music festival curated by ASU students for ASU students.
When: Friday, April 19. Doors open at 5 p.m.
Where: Mullett Arena, Tempe campus.
Admission: Free.
Details, including how to RSVP: eoss.asu.edu/pab/devilpalooza.
Neri discussed the intensive effort and team collaboration it takes to get an event like Devilpalooza up and running.
“So many people are on board this project,” Neri said. “You have our full team, the stadium crew, third-party vendors, the fire marshal and more. For an event this size, there are at least 100 people involved, so staying organized is key.”
For this upcoming Devilpalooza, Neri will interact with the artists directly, ensuring their comfort and safety before, during and after the performances.
“It’s an amazing opportunity,” Neri said when asked about his interactions with performers. “I do events outside of school, but I’ve only ever handled the operational side. I’ve never had the chance to work with an A-list celebrity directly, so it’s a great opportunity. Now I have more experience in the event-planning industry that will translate into real-life scenarios.”
What distinguishes this year’s event from the past editions of Devilpalooza is the new location. In the past, the festival was hosted on the fields outside of the Sun Devil Fitness Center on the Tempe campus. This year, students will watch some of their favorite artists live from Mullett Arena, home of Sun Devil Hockey and the Arizona Coyotes.
“At the Sun Devil Fitness Center fields, we have to convert soccer fields into a full-blown festival in only three days and take it all down in one day after the event,” Neri said. “Mullett Arena’s team has been a great partner. They’ve helped us out tremendously by providing the necessary resources: security, production, EMTs and more.”
The most exciting time surrounding Devilpalooza is finding out the headlining artist. PAB had been teasing the reveal on its new Instagram account, and it officially announced Aoki’s performance on April 11.
Last year’s headliner was DJ RL Grime, with openers Shifty and Slug Bug. In 2022, Sun Devils crowded to watch Chase Atlantic, who followed opening performances by DJ Manny and Ruby Shore. Some of the more notable performances in past years came in 2019 with rapper T-Pain and in 2021 with a performance by Chloe x Halle.
Now, Aoki, who boasts a monthly audience of approximately 14.2 million listeners on Spotify, will join that list of notable performers. Aoki first rose to fame in the 2010s with hits like “Turbulence” and “No Beef” and has a reputation for wild live shows. He is most well known for caking, the ritual of throwing a full cake into the crowd during his sets.
To see Aoki in action (or to get caked by him), Sun Devils should attend Devilpalooza 2024.
Beyond the headliner, Neri also cited the community as another reason why students should come out this year.
“When else are students going to get access to a free celebrity concert?” Neri asked. “When else are students going to be in their teens or 20s, in a stadium full of other people their age all having a great time?”
To learn more about Devilpalooza 2024, check out the ASU Programming and Activities Board’s website.
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