Photos by Megan Hirao and Katelyn Villon
On February 20, 2025, ACSE (UCSD Associated Students Concerts and Events) hosted Day 1 of the long-awaited Horizon. Opening the event was UCSD’s own Charisse Chua, then Audrey Nuna came as the supporting act, and finally, the opener, Leon Thomas. The series of events preceding this day was hectic and filled with confusion about who the opener for Day 1 was, but when ASCE revealed it would be the legendary Leon Thomas, the uproar was crazy. As a first-year, I had nothing to compare this experience to, so overall, it was very enjoyable and entertaining. The event was punctual, the audience was admitted promptly, and everything was according to schedule.
The opener, Charisse Chua, brought a lively and bubbly atmosphere to the amphitheater. Her vibes reminded me a lot of Olivia Rodrigo in her early music career, with her outfit, hairstyle, and youthful energy. Her ballads like “Closer to Closure” and the covers of iconic pop songs like “You Belong With Me” and “Treasure” had everyone forgetting about the 52-degree weather that night. I personally loved how interactive Charisse was with the crowd. The way she introduced her songs felt like I was debriefing with my friends; the shade, jokes, and context behind her lyrics were very much appreciated. Additionally, the incorporation of the crowd in her songs “Sidelines” and “Fridays” made me a little nervous, but the crowd surpassed my expectations and put their hearts and souls into their deliveries. Speaking of the crowd, I was glad to see so much support for Charisse from the right side of the lower bowl, which was filled with people from her friends to a group of guys from the pit who somehow found a way to frat flick to Charisse’s “would you take it all back.”
The supporting act, Audrey Nuna, brought a whole different vibe compared to Charisse Chua – in the best way possible. Within the 20 minutes it took to set up Audrey Nuna’s stage, the atmosphere went from romantic teen pop to trappy R&B and rap. From the moment Nuna stepped on stage, her energy was god-tier. She had people yelling, jumping, and raising their middle fingers?! Her performances of “idgaf” and “Comic Sans” were amazing. However, seeing the hype she brought compared to the amphitheater filled with people on their phones and the half-empty pit with (again) the same five people matching her energy, was so disappointing. Her performance reminded me of Charli XCX performing “I Love It” at MELT, and no one was giving the energy that needed to be given – I THOUGHT THIS SONG WAS BIG IN GERMANY. The crowd needed to be more interesting, and to be interesting, they needed to be interested, which many weren’t. My favorite part of Nuna’s performance would, hands down, be her little expository moment when she was talking about her recent sophomore album, Trench. She said this album was about “reconnecting with yourself, especially your younger self,” and seeing the way she expresses this in her music, it was beautiful.
Once Nuna parted from the stage, during the little intermission before Leon Thomas, the crowd started lining up. Everyone began to stand, the pit miraculously became fuller, and people crowded the left side of the stage. The lights began fading to red, Thomas’s name card appeared on the screen, and the crowd went crazy. With his two instrumentalists entering first, Leon Thomas followed behind them and began playing “Visionary’.” The presence Thomas and his band brought practically penetrated the crowd, and any moment one of them would near the pit, hands would go up, phones would begin recording, and yells would grow louder. You don’t even need to listen to Leon Thomas’s music to know his importance in the music industry – whether you know him as the producer of “Snooze” or as Andre from Victorious, his performance for Horizon was a huge deal. I mean who else can sing “Sneak,” a song with lyrics like “Oh, can I fuck you in the daytime, daytime? Even though that pussy isn’t mine, Know your man get off at nine,” and make it sound so charismatic? It was during this track that Thomas took his beanie off, took his guitar off, switched places with the drummer, and just began SHREDDING. His talent is undeniable, and one would think, after his first 10 runs, it’d get to a point, but I need that man to keep singing “yeaahhh” and playing those guitar riffs. Even if the audience didn’t listen to Thomas beforehand, everyone knew “Mutt,” so it surprised me when Thomas performed it in the middle of his set; no complaints though! Thomas officially ended his set with his encore, “Treasure in the Hills,” and just like that, Horizon Day 1 was done.
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