By Ella Zinken
TAMPA, Fla. — On Friday night, March 21, Iann Dior took the stage at The University of Tampa’s Plant Park to headline Party in the Park.
The singer-songwriter said that this was his first time in the city.
“Do you guys know how to party in Tampa?” asked Dior.
Tampa certainly showed Dior a party on Friday night. He took the stage around 9:20 p.m. and played for over an hour, veering off from his usual setlist to take requests from the crowd. Upon request, the singer added “Flowers” and “Holding On” to the show, accompanied by hits like “Mood,” “Sick and Tired,” and “emotions.”
Dior said during soundcheck that he was most excited to play some of his new songs for the Tampa crowd.
“This will be the first time I play them live,” said Dior.
His new EP, Nothings Ever Good Enough II, came out on Feb. 21 and featured songs like “Halo,” which he played for the crowd.
Dior is known for collaborating with big names in the music industry such as mgk, Gunna, Travis Barker, and 24kGoldn, but he says that his favorite star to collaborate with is Lil Uzi Vert.
“Uzi is such a little weirdo … like a real-life anime character,” said Dior.
Party in the Park is the largest event of the year hosted by UTampa’s student productions. The event was open to all students and was sponsored by companies like Poppi, Celsius, and Pepsi.
Freshman Jenna Miller and her friends came out to enjoy the festivities and grab some of the food provided by local Tampa vendors.
“I had a big Iann Dior phase in high school, around when I got my license I started listening to him,” said Miller. “I would roll down the windows and blast his tunes.”
Almost Friday’s DJ PRESS PLAY opened for Iann Dior, taking the stage at 8 p.m. to remix hits like “Mr. Brightside” and “Dark Horse” and get the crowd excited.
“I absolutely loved playing at UTampa,” said DJ PRESS PLAY. “The venue itself on the water is unbeatable and the weather was perfect. The crowd was full of high energy from start to finish.”
He continued to share his excitement about being able to open for Dior.
“I loved that the show was diverse in the lineup. For those who wanted to jump around to some EDM and get that energy, they could before singing along to all the hits of Iann Dior. I had a blast from start to finish,” said DJ PRESS PLAY.
He wasn’t the only one who had a blast.
Senior Lucia Sacerdoti, president of Student Productions, said the event was a great success.
“We implemented a lot of what students wanted from feedback from many years I’ve been here, and I turned it into what students wanted,” said Sacerdoti.
With an electrifying performance and crowd engagement, Iann Dior brought the energy to UTampa’s Party in the Park.
From new songs to fan-favorite hits, the event was a perfect mix of music, fun, and campus unity and put all attendees in a good “Mood.”
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Photos courtesy of Ella Zinken.