One of the most unique things about Fresno State is having a venue that hosts huge artists and concerts on campus.

The Save Mart Center located on the east end makes it super convenient for students around campus to attend a concert. 

Having no academic responsibilities during the summer, I attended three concerts in one week at the Save Mart Center. 

Plus, I have always loved music, and being in an arena with people connecting through instrumentals and lyrics is a great atmosphere. 

Fuerza Regida: “Pero No Te Enamores Tour”

The first I attended was super last minute, I decided to go two days before the show which was set for July 7. Fuerza Regida’s “Pero no te enamores tour” kicked the week off. I went with my sister Camila and we sat in the upper level but right in the middle so the stage distance was pretty good. 

This was the first Spanish concert that I have ever attended and I’m really glad I chose this one because it was super entertaining, energetic and engaging from the performers. 

The line to get inside of the arena was long. Attendees wearing dresses, button-down shirts, boots and sparkly attire.

The concert started as the arena went dark. Hundreds of cell phone lights lit up as Jesús Paz Ortiz (JOP) the main singer, and the rest of the Fuerza Regida members took to the stage. Flames shot down from the stage as they mounted their instruments, and prepared to play the first song. 

“Igualito a Mi Apá” was their opening song, and JOP took to the main stage as the crowd sang the lyrics loudly. 

JOP sang many of his top hits such as “TÚ NAME” and “SABOR FRESA” along with songs he’s featured on like “Que Onda.”

I really enjoyed when he talked to the audience about the song and how it came to be, as well as interacting with the fans on the floor. 

Quite often some singers won’t interact much and just sing, but his engagement really put a personal touch on his performance. 

During the middle portion of the show the band played the song “Tacata.” They brought out artist Tiagz who initially went viral on TikTok with this song, making it a trend during October 2023. 

Tiagz exhibited lots of energy, exhilarating everyone in the arena as he danced and even did a backflip. Bringing him on during that time was a smart move as JOP was able to take a back seat and recuperate some of his energy for the next portion of the show. 

In the last portion of the concert, JOP went to the end of the stage, sat on a high stool chair and sang while playing his guitar. This is where he played his slower songs like his cover of “Hey there Delilah” and my personal favorite, “UNA CERVEZA.” 

I wanted to record that song but when I tried to open my camera I was surprised that my storage was completely full. 

But then again, I was not really that surprised since I was taking lots of videos.   

My sister told me that it was fine and to just take it in and enjoy the song. Although at first I was bummed, I completely immersed myself which made the experience more memorable than a video.

After the concert ended, JOP and the rest of Fuerza Regida thanked everyone for coming out and walked off the stage. 

He recently announced that Fuerza Regida’s new album “Pero no te enamores” will be released on July 25. The way his concerts have been during this tour there is no doubt that there will be lots of buzz and listeners excited for this new album, and I will definitely be listening.

Ice Cube: “Summer Jam”

The second concert that I attended was “Ice Cube’s Summer Jam” on July 12, featuring lots of classic hip-hop and R&B artists such as Warren G, Zapp, Xzibit, Baby Bash, The Luniz and Amanda Perez. 

My friend Alexis and I got there a bit late but made it to our seats in the middle section as The Luniz were doing their set. 

I vividly remember coming across The Luniz when looking for songs on YouTube to play on my laptop as I was in Mrs. Onen’s sixth grade class doing work. I don’t remember what I searched up or if it came on shuffle but as soon as I heard the ominous beat I was hooked. 

The song playing was “I Got 5 On It” featuring Michael Marshall. The song was released in 1995 but was remixed and featured on Jordan Peele’s 2019 “Us” film. 

And now I was listening to it live. 

Before the concert I had listened to Zapp a couple of times, most specifically, “Computer Love” and “I Want to be Your Man” because they’re classics, but I was pleasantly surprised with their performance. 

All of the members wore matching glitter suits and had choreography for every. Seeing them step and slide so synchronized really took you back to their late ’70s and early ’80s performances. 

One of the members used a talkbox connected to a keyboard that allowed them to filter their voices, creating different vocal effects. 

Warren G performed before Ice Cube, which really fired up the crowd singing his most popular songs. My favorite was “Regulate” as Warren G paid tribute to the late Nate Dogg, who is featured on the song. 

Ice Cube was the last one to perform, making it the perfect closure for the summer jam. 

My older brother introduced me to Ice Cube when we watched his movie “Friday” which soundtrack features Ice Cube’s song, “Friday” and ever since then I’ve been a fan of his movies and music. 

Ice Cube also performed “It Was A Good Day,” finishing the concert with “Ain’t Got No Haters.” Just like JOP, Ice Cube said a few words of gratitude to Fresno at the end of the show. 

Cole Swindell: “Win The Night Tour”

The concert that concluded my week on July 13 was Cole Swindell’s “Win the Night Tour” with Dylan Scott and Restless Road. 

For most of my life I have not been the biggest fan of country music, but this year I decided to give it a shot. Turns out, country music is not that bad, so I was excited to go to this concert and put on my boots. 

I attended this show with Alexis again and our friends Ric and Ethan. As Alexis was showing our tickets at the entrance they handed her a voucher and told her that we were getting our seats upgraded. 

We all excitedly rushed to the other side of the concourse to redeem the voucher. The Save Mart Center worker gave us four new tickets to the middle of section 110, right in front of the stage. 

We were really close in comparison to where we were initially going to be seated, in the higher level of section 209. 

Scott was the opening act for Swindell and he really electrified the audience. He was having full-on conversations with audience members and singing his heart out on stage. 

I hadn’t heard of him before but one of his songs that I added to my playlist because of the concert is “I’ll Be A Bartender.” 

Swindell then appeared on stage after all the lights went dark. He was wearing a Dog House Grill shirt which I found really cool, showing support for the local business. 

The stage setup was nice. It had lots of lights and huge screens in the background displaying different images and graphics. 

He performed “How Is She” and my favorite song of the show “She Had Me At Heads Carolina.” 

At one point of the performance Swindell disappeared from the stage and returned wearing Dylan Lee’s college jersey, former Diamond ‘Dog and now Atlanta Braves pitcher. 

Swindell performing with a Dog House Grill shirt and a Fresno State jersey showed familiar things to the audience, making the performance feel more connected to the Valley. 

All three shows were in completely different musical genres, but were all equally entertaining and fun. 

After the week I realized that we don’t have to travel far distances for great concerts when we have access to them right here on campus.