Fridays Are For Rebecca Black (And Picture Us Tiny)

Above is the post used to announce the WERW show three days before the actual show.

Rebecca Black and Picture Us Tiny gave fun, high energy performances at Schine Underground for WERW’s Fall 2021 Launch Event

By Mattea Vecera / Images provided by Will Fudge

“Schine Center at Syracuse University, I want you to open a f*cking pit.” -Jackson Velli.

Not only were multiple pits opened last Friday at the Schine Underground, but there also was crowd surfing, shirtless men, a distribution of thongs, and great performances from Syracuse’s Picture Us Tiny and viral pop sensation Rebecca Black.

WERW, Syracuse University’s only student-run, free format radio station, announced its annual Fall Launch Party just three days before the event. This did not falter ticket sales, however, as according to WERW members running it, approximately 200 tickets were pre-sold. 

Doors to the Underground opened at around 7:35 p.m. with most arriving closer to 8. By 8:10, all of the Rebecca Black “Friday Can’t Come Soon Enough” thongs were sold out. Fans crowded around the stage anxiously awaiting the first act, Picture Us Tiny. 

Jackson Velli early in his set.

Picture Us Tiny is the musical alias of Jackson Velli, a junior in SU’s Bandier Program. If you haven’t heard of him by now, you definitely will soon, either from one of his energetic weekend performances, on a pop-punk revival playlist, or doing a Taylor Swift cover on TikTok. 

Velli, accompanied by Nick Beebower on drums, Dan Harris and Vir Batra on guitar, and Anish Ghosh on bass, began the set at 8:20 p.m. with Velli’s original song “Letting Go.” From the moment it started to the end of Picture Us Tiny’s set, the crowd matched the insane energy of the stage.

Pictured from left to right: Vir Batra, Anish Ghosh, and Jackson Velli.

You can thank Velli for what was possibly the first crowd surfer in Schine Underground. He commanded the crowd, getting them to sing along to his hit singles like “Party Girl” and “Indie Girls 101,” as well as an homage to his Tiktok career with a cover of “Love Story” by Taylor Swift. Another highlight was Batra, who spent more time in the air than on the ground, but still never missed a beat. 

About halfway through the show, they all took off their shirts, which is a ritual for a Picture Us Tiny live performance. They looked and acted like well-seasoned rock stars. Their set sadly came to a close at 9 p.m. on the dot.  

The second and last act, Rebecca Black, strutted on stage at 9:20 p.m. in an all red ensemble that matched the fiery and fun energy of her performance. Sharing the stage with only her DJ, Ceci G., Black used up the entire space to dance and pose for the screaming fans. 

Rebecca Black, the artist of pop hit “Friday” engaging with the crowd.

The colorful neon stage and crowd lights of the Underground mixed with Black’s background display of bright sci-fi visuals of chainsaws, lips, cassette tapes, motorcycles, and futuristic robot-humans kept the crowd mesmerized. 

For Black’s first show in 2 years, you could tell how much fun she was having interacting with the audience, as she kept stepping off of the stage to grab the hands of the fans at the front. She kept a smile on her face the whole time. 

Black went viral on the internet in 2011 after releasing an original song on YouTube called “Friday.” It only seemed fitting that she chose the hyper-pop remix of “Friday” to conclude the show as her encore. This hyper-pop remix yielded balloons and mosh pits from the crowd. Fans left this $3 concert beaming with smiles, and many joined Black and Ceci G. later that night at an after party. 

It’s going to be tough for WERW to top this show at next year’s launch party, but if it’s anything like this, you’re not going to want to miss it.