As an avid fan of live music, I was ecstatic when I learned that USF offered a music festival on campus in the spring semester — no matter what artists might be there.
And once I knew this year’s Bullstock Music Festival headliner was The Driver Era, an alternative pop-rock band led by former Disney Channel star Ross Lynch and his brother Rocky Lynch, I knew I had to go.
I’ve listened to the band for years and while I wouldn’t consider myself a die-hard fan, I was excited at the possibility of hearing some of my favorite songs live.
Bullstock is USF’s annual music festival, hosted on the Tampa campus by the Campus Activities Board. The festival offers free admission to active USF students and one $30 guest ticket per student, according to CAB.
Aside from The Driver Era, this year’s lineup included two winners of USF’s Battle of the Bands, Indigo Lane and my dead roommate and openers Sydney Ross Mitchell and MARIS.
While I was excited for Bullstock, I was unsure what my experience would be like, since I only knew the headlining artist — but I enjoyed the performances much more than I expected.
Before the first performance even started, Lot 35 was filled with food trucks, photobooths, giveaways and merch tables from some of the artists.
Once I got a printed photo with my friends and took a free energy drink from the Monster Energy table, I made my way towards the pit.
The first performer was one of the Battle of the Bands winners, Indigo Lane. While I enjoyed the performance, what stood out to me more was how much of their personality was visible on stage.
Related: USF Bullstock opener MARIS talks backstory, songwriting
I have found that it is rare for up-and-coming artists to feel comfortable with crowd interaction, but it was clear that this alternative indie rock band had a fun group dynamic and enjoyed speaking with the crowd.
The next USF band was the other Battle of the Bands winner — five-member progressive rock band my dead roommate.
While their performance was less focused on vocals, they did have strong instrumental elements, especially their electric guitar and drums.
After the two brief 25-minute sets from the Battle of the Bands winners, two openers remained until the much-anticipated headliner.
Folk dream pop singer Sydney Ross Mitchell offered a contrast to the previous high-energy performances with her mellow, acoustic set.
I enjoyed the nostalgic themes in her songwriting and her storytelling about her upbringing in Texas in between songs.
She concluded her performance with “The Edge”, which became my personal favorite of her setlist.
I realized I had known of the song years prior without realizing it was hers, so hearing it live was an exciting surprise.
The next performance was pop-rock singer MARIS, which I enjoyed more than I anticipated.
As someone who doesn’t consistently listen to pop music, I was unsure if I would resonate with her set, but the energy she brought to the stage was contagious.
It was clear the crowd felt this way too, as I observed hundreds of students around me dancing to her music, even if they didn’t appear to know the words.
From a choreographed dance break with her drummer to bringing a fan’s phone on stage in the middle of a song, her spontaneity brought the crowd to life.
Related: OPINION: USF’s music scene is the lifeblood of the campus
The Driver Era concluded the music festival and it was my favorite performance of the night.
Opening with “You Keep Me Up At Night” from the duo’s most recent album, Obsession, released in 2025, the excitement in the crowd was unmistakable.
The duo followed with songs like “Nobody Knows”, “Rumors” and one of my favorites — “Get Off My Phone”.
Still, the most memorable part of their performance was when Ross Lynch surprised the crowd with a performance of “On My Own” from the 2015 Disney film he starred in, Teen Beach 2.
The nostalgia brought fans in the crowd together as students cheered and sang along.
The band’s set list ended with its top hit on Spotify, “A Kiss”, which ended the night on a fun note.
From student rock bands to Disney throwbacks, this year’s Bullstock catered to a variety of students, no matter their musical tastes.
With this being my first year attending Bullstock, I’m looking forward to who CAB will bring on stage next — but I think this year’s lineup will be hard to beat.