It was an awesome weekend to be a music lover! This past Thursday night, Iona University hosted their Fall 2025 Coffee House, which showcased the talents of various students and strengthened the community bonds on campus. Let’s review some of the highlights!
Junior Kevin Hayes performed a rousing rendition of Aerosmith’s iconic “Dream On”, a top 10 song for me (who could forget the Skittles Superbowl commercial?). Soon afterwards, my good friend, Tyler Gil (Mr. Iona), sang the Instagram reel-favorite, “What I’ve Done” by Linkin Park (cue the “Directed by Michael Bay” credits). Afterwards, members of YoungLife gave us a taste of 90s boy-bandism and sang The Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way.” As someone who has been to their fair share of concerts (take my article from the previous issue), an interesting set was freshman John Cinguina performing a Luke Combs song. Being high-fived by Cinguina and swaying the flashlights of our phones was certainly fun!
Now, let us transition outside of Iona University to the iHeartRadio Music Festival! The 2025 Festival’s star-studded lineup included Bailey Zimmerman, BigXthaPlug, Bryan Adams, Ed Sheeran, Diplo, GloRilla, Jelly Roll, John Fogerty, Justice, LL COOL J, Mariah Carey, Maroon 5 (who I will be seeing live this November – expect an article!) Sammy Hagar, Tate McRae, The Offspring, and Tim McGraw.
Jelly Roll took the audience to Church with a performance that spanned multiple genres, such as Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me”, Lynryd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”, DMX’s “Party Up”, Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa’s “Young, Wild & Free,” and Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers.” Tate McRae followed suit, mesmerizing the crowd with a performance of “Sports Car”, from her latest album “So Close to What.”
Afterwards was my favorite performance of the night, the Red Rocker himself, Sammy Hagar himself (who still does not deserve the hate from Van Halen fans in my view). The legend shredded his way through fan-favorites, both in his solo catalogue and from tenure as Van Halen’s lead singer. Hagar performed hits such as “Right Now,” “I Can’t Drive Route 55,” “Heavy Metal” and “Thank you, shredding his way through every song. Next there is Maroon 5, arguably my favorite modern band.
After frontman Adam Levine treated the crowd to their new tune, “Love is Like”, he was joined by guitarist James Valentine for an acoustic version of “She Will Be Loved.” The pop-rock group then did a final chorus to close out the set. Afterwards, Bryan Adams took the stage, a great send-off for the Summer of 25. The singer performed hits such as “Run to You,” “Somebody” and “Roll With the Punches,” as well as nostalgic fan favorites like “Heaven” and “Summer of ’69.”
The electronic duo Justice brought down the house by paying homage to many iconic tunes such as “Welcome To The Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses, “Boys Don’t Cry” by The Cure, and many more.
This weekend was a vibrant celebration of music, showcasing the incredible talents of Iona University students and the star-studded performances at the iHeartRadio Music Festival.
From heartfelt renditions to electrifying collaborations, these events not only entertained but also fostered a deeper sense of community and connection among music lovers.