Saturday, on a temporary platform constructed at Observatory Hill field, Shaquille O’Neal took the stage as DJ Diesel to perform for University students ahead of Virginia football’s opening home game against North Carolina State University. The event took place at 1 p.m. — directly after the ACC Huddle held in the same location from 10 a.m. to noon — but a line of students was already wrapped around O’Hill dining hall by 12:30 p.m.
Shaquille O’Neal began officially performing as DJ Diesel in 2015, but first entered the music industry back in 1993 with the release of his debut rap album “Shaq Diesel.” O’Neal has performed as DJ Diesel at various festival and event mainstages over the past 11 years, and his “Summer of SHAQ” world tour has been blazing venues since June. His performance at the University was the first show of his in-progress collegiate tour, where O’Neal will perform at various schools like the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Purdue University for similar football kick-off events. At the University, the event was free of charge and open only to current University students.
Not all concertgoers may have known O’Neal for his musical endeavors prior to the event, given his fame as a lauded former basketball player and his comedic online persona. By the end of his set, however, Diesel had certainly cemented his musical identity among the student body. Third-year College student Meredith Stilley said she believed his comedic persona was a large draw for students, as well as O’Neal’s general celebrity status.
“I think it makes sense that everyone would try to see Shaq,” Stilley said. “To be able to say that you saw Shaq in person DJing is a pretty big deal.”
Students’ excitement to see such a celebrity was palpable. While waiting in anticipation for the event to begin, chants of “Shaq” briefly flowed through the crowd, followed by louder chants of “Diesel” as the clock struck 12:59 p.m. The artist was greeted with echoing cheers as he walked up to the DJ booth at 1 p.m.
DJ Diesel opened his set with EDM synths, and spoke into a handheld microphone to begin the crowd work that typically accompanies his DJ sets. He began saying variations of “Hands up for U.Va., middle fingers up for NC State,” which were accompanied by cheers for the former and boos for the latter. Diesel also began inviting students on stage who had football-related signs, all of which encouraged the Cavaliers to win against NC State. As the DJ highlighted these students and continued yelling encouragements for Virginia football, he bolstered students’ enthusiasm for both the upcoming game and his ongoing set.
Diesel’s opening musical selection was well tailored to the crowd of young students, featuring popular songs like “No Broke Boys” by Tinashe and “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye. Diesel also catered to older audiences present around the event, such as parents who could not attend the set but were still waiting outside the barricade. He played throwback hits like Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin,” yelling “Moms and dads, sing along.”
DJ Diesel’s comedic persona continued to foster a fun, energetic atmosphere throughout the set. Students jumped up and down to the music, and some even began crowd surfing at the hands of their academic peers — and by request of DJ Diesel himself, who often yelled “Mosh pit” and “Crowd surf” to encourage the spirited behavior. Diesel also continued welcoming students on stage, and seemed to have at least one University student present with him for a large portion of the set.
First-year Engineering student Liam Rogers said that Diesel’s crowd work did well to keep the audience engaged, as did his interactions with University students.
“The students on stage is good, because it shows he wants to involve the U.Va. community,” Rogers said.
However, around 20 minutes into the event, the sweltering August heat began forcing students to leave the tight crowd in favor of open spaces or nearby shade. Some students stood fanning themselves, while others sat down on the O’Hill field. Slight audio problems also caused a dip in engagement, as speakers were only pointed towards the back of the crowd and the very front of the barricade, leaving those in the direct middle of the crowd largely unable to hear or engage with Diesel’s comedic interjections.
Diesel continued his set unaware of these inconsistencies, and his music selection took a turn into crunchy house synths and loud dubstep beats that greatly contrasted the pop hits which began the set. His high-octane tunes faded back into mainstream hits when artists like Kesha and Lady Gaga came back on the speakers. O’Neal continued to cater to the student audience in ways beyond his soundtrack, sometimes by warning students to be aware of their surroundings and not crowd or crush the women present, saying variations of “Be careful with my ladies.”
Third-year College student Isabelle Michalski said she felt noticeably safer in Diesel’s crowd than she had at other music events, and said that Diesel’s shoutouts may have contributed to that feeling.
“The crowd is probably the most respectful rave crowd I’ve ever experienced,” Michalski said. “So even though it was very crowded and it was really hectic, a lot of people were really conscious of the spaces of others.”
At its peak, Diesel’s crowd stretched from the barricade near Alderman Road to halfway down the O’Hill field, almost parallel with the dining hall’s front doors. The crowd thinned near the end of the set as students walked right towards Scott Stadium or left into the air conditioned dining hall, and the final exodus occurred after DJ Diesel left the stage. He gave words of encouragement to Virginia football, and the O’Hill field cleared in a quick fashion.
Overall, Diesel’s set seemed to accomplish its goal of energizing University students before the upcoming football game while still highlighting Diesel’s own musical performance and celebrity persona. Rogers and Michalski both said they felt the event added to a collective gameday enthusiasm, and O’Neal’s on-stage student engagement and references to Virginia’s upcoming game specially tailored the concert to the University crowd. Students were left talking about the set long after it ended, and echoes of “Shaq” could be heard throughout the crowd as students took their places at Scott Stadium before the first home game of the season.
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