Backstage at the USC: That Time We Booked Flo Rida for O-Week
As Western students, our O-Week concerts are a point of pride.
Year after year, popular artists hit our campus to welcome first-year students with a booming Saturday-night concert. It’s the perfect introduction to Western, and a tradition the USC plans to keep alive for years to come.
This year, the USC invited the rapper and singer Flo Rida. At the time of writing, he has over 37 million monthly listeners on Spotify. That’s nearly the population of Canada!
What’s the secret to booking big names for O-Week? According to Rhegan Whelpley—the USC’s Vice-President of Orientation and Programming (VPOP)—it’s a combination of teamwork and a lot of patience.
“I learned a lot about artist negotiations from last year’s VPOP, and the USC’s full-time staff are very knowledgeable about negotiating with music agencies,” said Whelpley. “I definitely had to coordinate with them to come up with the best ideas.”
According to her, Flo Rida wasn’t always the plan from the get-go—but after she received a list of available artists, it was clear who students would want to see the most.
“When I got that list, Flo’s name caught my eye immediately,” she said. “I felt that many students knew songs by him—he has a lot of fun hits that different groups of people can come together and bop their heads to.”
As a concertgoer, your experience rests on months of consultations, negotiations, and hard decisions behind-the-scenes. Booking an artist isn’t a linear process—when you’re constantly facing setbacks and challenges, patience is key.
“Before negotiations start, there’s a long process to determine which artists are even available for our concert dates,” Whelpley explained. “That’s definitely one of the harder things in this industry.”
But even with unlimited patience and tireless work, Whelpley says she couldn’t have done it alone. It makes sense—she’s one person, and it takes a village to sort through the logistics of such a huge concert.
What helped her most was relying on the experience and expertise of those around her. One of those people was Jeff Armour, the USC’s Chief Operating Officer. While Whelpley takes point on O-Week programming, Armour brings years of industry experience and connections to various agencies.
In addition, the concert was overseen by licensed security staff, trained to deal with safety concerns to ensure the concert remained a place for students to comfortably enjoy music.
“Security is a big deal for us, and concerts are often unpredictable,” explained Whelpley. “We made sure a USC Exec was present at all times, but ultimately it’s important to rely on our trained professionals who handle these situations every day.”
Like last year’s VPOP, Whelpley faced roadblocks. She describes a sense of uncertainty that stuck with her for much of the planning process.
“As VPOP, you want to pick an artist that caters to everyone,” she explained. “That’s not always possible—you’re responsible for making a really difficult decision, and it’s important that you stay true to it.”
In the end, Whelpley trusted her gut—and it paid off. The concert was a massive success and brought a memorable close to this year’s O-Week.
Along with Armour, Whelpley credits the hard work of the USC’s Execs and staff members, and the tireless efforts of Western’s Sophs.
“Everyone in the USC played a huge role in bringing something of this scale to life,” she said. “They gave me the support and enthusiasm I needed, every single day.”
