As the lights dimmed in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, the ground shook with students rising from their seats and introductory music reverberating through mega speakers attached to the ceiling. From the stage, a white fluorescent streak of light emerged through the smoke, crossing to point into the crowd. Then, from the wings, the long-awaited star of the night emerged.
“Oh man, University of Florida, what’s poppin’?” Joey Bada$$ yelled into his microphone, kicking off his set for the night as well as the start of the Fall semester.
Joey Bada$$ and Jean Deaux took to the stage to play a UF student-only concert at the O’Connell Center Wednesday night.
Lorenzo Vasquez is a third-year marketing major and a staff photographer at the Alligator. He is also a student sports photographer for the Florida Gators UAA department. You can find him lifting heavy circles at the gym or working at one of his three other jobs.
9/11 Memorial Walk
Sep. 12Students, firefighters and Gainesville residents climbed the equivalent of 110 floors on Sept. 11, 2025. The memorial walk honored the lives lost from the 9/11 terrorists attacks on the Twin Towers.
Florida Gators vs. South Florida Bulls
Sep. 8At the Sept. 6 home game where Florida was 18.5 point favorites, the Gators fell to the Bulls 18-16.
Florida Gators vs. Long Island University
Aug. 31The Florida Gators beat Long Island University 55-0 on Aug. 30.