Students pushed their way through the crowd to get a closer look at Ludacris on Friday night during Gator Growl.
The “Limitless”-themed night included talent acts, food trucks, a venue change and a music-festival atmosphere.
But it did reach a limit on one thing: tickets.
Growl completely sold out. It sold 17,000 tickets, 2,000 more than last year, before the show started at 6 p.m.
“It’s great to see thousands of students feel proud to come to this university,” said Jonathan Schonfeld, a Student Government Productions co-chairman and UF finance senior.
Billed as the No. 1 student-run pep rally in the nation, Growl transformed Flavet Field into a sea of spirited students.
Students roamed the field before the show, eating from food trucks like Humble Pie and Monsta Lobsta and getting free cans of Mountain Dew Kickstart energy drinks and Geico sunglasses.
The beer and wine garden was packed until it closed at the start of Foster the People’s performance at about 8 p.m.
“We never ran out of alcohol, and it was very successful for our first time having the garden,” said Haley Doyle, Growl’s associate producer of communications and a 20-year-old UF marketing junior.
Students sat on damp grass and clustered around the stage while the Homecoming court was presented.
When Foster the People came on, the crowd sang along to hits like “Pumped Up Kicks” and their closer, “Don’t Stop.”
Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Brooks Wheelan began his 10-minute set by asking, “Gator Growl, how the f**k are you?”
“It was unfortunate that it didn’t turn out as we expected and was a rough performance, to say the least,” Schonfeld, 22, said.
Wheelan was booed by the crowd.
“I was embarrassed that people would boo him because if he’s not funny, just don’t laugh,” said Ernesto Cejas, a UF finance senior.
Fireworks lit up the sky before and after Ludacris took the stage.
The Grammy award-winning rapper made the crowd shake their “Money Maker” to hits like “Act a Fool,” “What’s Your Fantasy” and “Get Back.”
“He made me feel like I was back in middle school and made it an unforgettable experience,” Cejas, 20, said.
After 82 years in The Swamp, Growl was moved to Flavet Field for its 91st celebration, according to Alligator archives.
“It was a change that needed to happen, and it trumped any other show,” Schonfeld said. “It put students in the driver seat, gave people what they wanted to see and made Gator Growl something cool again.”
[A version of this story ran on page 1 on 10/20/2014]
Ludacris performs during Gator Growl on Flavet Field on Friday night. This was the first year the event wasn’t held in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
