Dillo Day is a festival unlike any other at Northwestern. Trading lectures for a lineup, Wildcats spend the day on the lakefill jammin' and dancing to celebrate the end of the year. Of course, those Wildcats include student athletes as well.
You'll spot your favorite football player at Dillo Day, but just who do those players want to see on stage? NBN caught up with a few 'Cats to hear their Dillo wishlists.
Zach Morton, pitcher (baseball): “I’m a big Chicago hip-hop guy, so I really like Lupe Fiasco and Common. And they’ve been here before, but I would love to see them again.” Morton's right: Lupe came for A&O's Fall Blowout back in 2011, while Common graced the Dillo Day stage in '08. It's unlikely that they'll be back this year, but with a solid history of Chicago rappers that includes them and Rhymefest, perhaps another Windy City native will come.
Alex Olah, center (basketball): "I really love techno or that kind of music, so my first choice would be David Guetta. My second one will be R&B with Usher." Lofty expectations, but a 'Cat can certainly dream. EDM artist Steve Aoki headlined last year's Dillo Day, while other artists from the dance genre including Major Lazer, Girl Talk and the Super Mash Bros recently hit NU. Regardless, Olah will be guaranteed at least one techno artist, as the winner of Mayfest's annual Battle of the DJs is included in the Dillo lineup.
Kale Abrahamson, small forward (basketball): "Usher! Or a good DJ like Tiesto or David Guetta." Like his roommate Olah, Abrahamson seems ready for some R&B or EDM. Usher is clearly the sharpshooter's top choice, and he's a lot to ask for. R&B artists aren't very common at Dillo Day; the last one was Estelle in 2009.
Jake Straub, catcher (baseball): “I’m a pretty big country concert guy, so if it was like [Jason] Aldean, [Eric] Church...or I’m a big Toby Keith fan. I’d go with one of those guys.” Dillo Day hasn't featured a country artist in years, but with the genre's rising popularity, who knows?
Amy Letourneau, pitcher (softball): “I love country music. But hopefully, we’ll at the World Series, so hopefully we won’t be here. For me, all the country artists would make me very happy. Or the boy bands. Backstreet Boys, 'NSync; that would be awesome.” We're certain that a Backstreet Boys reunion would be tearin' up more than just Letourneau's heart.
Brandon Williams, punter (football): "Fun. I saw them live with Jack's Mannequin in 2011, before they released their new album that everyone knows about, and they were incredible." Williams' list includes Ed Sheeran, Grouplove, The Fratellis, Mat Kearney and Motion City Soundtrack, among others. Last year's day headliner, the Cold War Kids, and 2011 acts The New Pornographers and Peter Bjorn and John fall under a similar genre. Indie rock has been huge over the past few years, and a trend of artists that fill the category may just continue this June.
Tre Demps, shooting guard (basketball): "My first choice would be Lecrae or Andy Mineo. But I doubt that would ever happen, haha. I'm going to be out of town for Dillo Day anyway." Demps shouldn't worry about his top options coming to Evanston while he's gone, because Dillo Day hasn't seen any Christian artists in recent history. Although these rappers are highly-regarded, it's unlikely that they or any other artists with religious undertones will be featured.
Nick Linne, third baseman/outfielder (baseball): “I’m kind of a chill music kind of guy. I like country, so I’d like Eric Church. I also like reggae, like Rebelution, so I’d be cool with either of those.” Country is clearly a common choice among baseball and softball players, even though it hasn't been seen at Dillo Day in many years. There hasn't been a major reggae artist in a while, either.
Dave Sobolewski, point guard (basketball): "I'd love a lot of people that are probably well out of our school's budget for a Dillo Day performer (aka Drake), but if J. Cole was in the budget, I'd love to see him at NU. Kid Cudi, although he was here a few years ago for the fall concert, would also be awesome." Sobolewski's love for hip-hop should be rewarded: each of the past five lineups have featured a rap artist. And while they might be highly-priced, Dillo Day has drawn some big-name rappers in the past, such as Common, B.o.B and Big Boi, so Sobo's wishes may not be out of the question.