UC San Diego’s Associated Students Office of Concerts and Events (ASCE) kicked off 2024 with Horizon, a two-day concert experience headlined by Larry June and Thee Sacred Souls. The concert, held at the UCSD Epstein Family Amphitheater, was free for students but had a limited number of tickets available. Horizon 2024 is the third concert under the same name hosted by ‘ASCE’ since 2020. This event was complete with three different food vendors for students to pick from as well as a Triton Outfitters booth and a post-show meet-and-greet tent with one of the openers. Critics Tate McFadden and Alessandra Breall covered the event for The Triton.
The student opener for Horizon Day 1 was AJ Erenshey, stage name Ajax the Prodigy, who ran on stage with his DJ, DJ Dono, and performing partner Shawn Clayton. He introduced himself and thanked UCSD earnestly for inviting him to perform for the first night of Horizon before launching into his opening song. Ajax the Prodigy, who cited influences like Tyler, the Creator, JPEGMAFIA, and Travis Scott, offered up a varied musical performance as the crowd danced in the pit below.
After a few songs, Ajax took a break and told the audience that, before Horizon, the largest crowd he’d ever performed for was just nine people. His performance was hesitant, but there was a clear appreciation for the moment as he performed original tracks with slightly off-tempo overdubs from Shawn. There were a few silly moments throughout the set, like his performance of the song “Sonic Lady,” which was originally a poem written by Ajax in a critical gender studies course that features a call-and-response chorus of the song and the line “I think you’re special babe” over and over again. However, these moments didn’t detract from the performance. He made it clear that he wanted to exhibit other student performers as much as himself, saying “When ASCE invited me here,” he said, “I told them I would only do it if I could bring all my friends!” Ajax and his fellow performers were just having a great time up on stage and the casual energy was infectious.
The performance was varied as Ajax performed with a parade of different student performers. While they occasionally obscured Ajax’s creative voice, they rarely removed from the quality of his performance. Student singer Esha Garg came on with guitarist Justin Lecuna for a beautiful vocal performance led by Garg and backed by Ajax, which concluded with a ballad-esque guitar solo by Lecuna. The highlight of Ajax’s set featured student rapper Aidan Kado, who came out to perform with Ajax towards the end of the set and immediately raised the energy with a hard and fast rap flow reminiscent of artists like Migos, setting the bar high for Rei Ami, the next performer of the night.
As Ajax and his crew hugged on stage and took a final bow, Ajax and DJ Dono led the crowd in a rousing call and response of “Free Palestine” several times before disappearing backstage. Ajax’s call of protest is in response to the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, which The Triton’s and The Guardian’s editorial boards have demanded an end to.
The Epstein Family Amphitheater erupted with cheers as Rei Ami—wearing a leather corset, a pleated skirt, and a crop top sporting a dog saying “FEED ME”—lined up with her two backup dancers. She launched into a choreographed dance and a high-energy song to get the crowd going. Performing a mix of singles like “Dictator” and “That’s On You,” as well as tracks from her newest EP titled shhh like “Body Bag,” Ami had a sleazy and sexy energy on stage, often crouching down to sing to an audience member. And while her vibe was easy to get swept up in, she occasionally broke the rhythm of her performance to do stunted and uncomfortable bits like taunting an audience member for wearing hearing protection, angrily repeating “If it’s too loud you can leave” over and over again. The chaos is admittedly a selling point of Ami’s, at one point saying “I’m bipolar, and I’m also a Gemini so shit’s gonna get chaotic. So, I hope you can get down with it, cause who isn’t chaotic?” It was this inconsistent quality that made it hard to fully love the performance, as it bordered on off-putting as she occasionally ridiculed crowd members.
The crowd began to scream as the drums of Too $hort’s classic “Blow the Whistle” blasted through the speakers and San Francisco rapper Larry June appeared on stage. The industrial sounds of classic Bay Area rap had the crowd jumping before June had even begun his set, chanting “Larry!” over and over. June’s performance was competent and immersive, including interactions with the crowd, but it lacked the excitement that Ajax and Ami’s performances exhibited. He came on stage, hit his marks, and did his job, but June’s professional and rather passionless performance did not reflect the crowd’s electric enthusiasm. It can be difficult for artists who have been performing for so long to make each and every one of their shows spectacular, so not every concert necessarily needs to be sensational. However, the well-oiled machinery of June’s set felt more mechanical than passionate, which was an unfortunate punctuation to a night of performers who wanted to be there.
The first of two openers for Day 2 of the event was San Diego’s very own Night Cereal. The three-quarters Filipino-American band opened up the show with amazing energy and a surfy-dream pop sound. With mostly upbeat indie tracks accompanied by the soothing voice of the lead singer Holden Ames, band members Ames, Andre Adan, David Austin Serna, and, temporarily, Nhomas Shaeffer, Night Cereal was a relaxing floaty opener for Horizon Day 2, with the audience even throwing cereal into the audience at one point during the set. A notable song was titled ‘Adam Driver,’ which had a nostalgic sound that reminded our critics of surf-rock that typically comes from the SoCal scene.
The second opener of the night was 25-year-old Olivia Williams, performing under the stage name Liv.e; she opened her set by live mixing a selection of her songs and adding distorted singing over them. Liv.e mixed sounds of R&B, jazz, soul, and hip-hop to create a new sound altogether. Her performance was paired with captivating visuals of a technological art piece which included CCTV footage overlaid with the artist’s eyes looking around the audience during the show, and mixed sounds of R&B, jazz, soul, and hip-hop to create a new sound altogether. All this combined to make an extremely unique set. The elements of live mixing and vocals were reminiscent of Grimes but with more R&B/neo soul vocals. Notably, Liv.e has collaborated with Earl Sweatshirt on several projects in the past, even accompanying him on tour in 2019.
The headliner of Horizon Day 2, Thee Sacred Souls, is originally from San Diego, and they have a retro sound that is irresistible to all. Thee Sacred Souls bring a mix of ’60s soul and ’70s R&B into their music. The band is big, composed of three brass instruments, a piano, drums, bass, lead guitar, two backup singers, as well as lead singer Josh Lane. The sheer number of talented musicians brought onstage made the show a unique experience and sound that is true of their records. Lane spread love and awareness throughout the show by talking about the war on Gaza during the breaks in between songs. Their stage presence is undeniable, with Lane even jumping into the crowd at one point of the show and running all over the amphitheater to offer everyone a piece of the captivating aura he brings to the stage—all without compromising his impeccable vocals.
There was little not to be enjoyed during Thee Sacred Souls’s set. Even when the lead singer was off stage, the remaining performers were easily able to keep the audience’s attention. If you’re a UCSD student looking for a fun cost-effective concert experience, Horizon is something to keep on your radar for next year.
Tate McFadden is the Arts and Culture Editor and Opinion Editor for The Triton. Alessandra Breall is a Staff Writer for Arts and Culture for The Triton.