Kansas State’s campus was flooded with party beats with the arrival of Aux Cord Wars, a traveling live music gameshow. The touring musical experience touched down in Manhattan Jan. 31 in the Union’s Courtyard, giving students the opportunity to compete and discover who has the best music taste.
Among the night’s activities were a song trivia quiz and music battle rounds, where audience members got the chance to go onstage and set up competing playlists, with the winners decided by crowd hype. Music categories for the rounds included best of the 2010’s, ladies’ night and college party anthems.
Trizzy Dollaz, host of Aux Cord Wars, said this was the group’s first time at K-State, and they’re eager to return.
“It was amazing that the energy in the building was definitely there,” Dollaz said. “The students showed up, they showed out. They had a good time. So that’s all we can ever ask for. As long as the students have a good time, we’re having a good time.”
Sienna Rose, freshman in elementary education, was selected from the crowd to compete in a music battle round. She and her team partner, SaDerra Gill, freshman in integrative human sciences, walked away with total cash winnings of $150.
Dollaz said he was impressed by students’ performances that night.
“We saw a lot of different contestants come up, and they had a lot of diverse skills,” Dollaz said. “As far as what they did on stage, some dance, some sang, some hyped up their friends, but at Aux Cord Wars, whatever your superpower is, you just got to pull that out when you’re on stage for the people.”
Grace Thompson, coordinator for the Student Union Program Council, said K-State’s Black Student Union co-hosted the event with UPC, and a little over 350 people attended the event.
“I feel like the people that came had such a good time, and that makes me happy to see the students having so much fun,” Thompson said. “I was very happy with everyone that came.”
Rose said she heard about the event through her involvement with BSU, and she was proud the group helped put on the event.
“We are an award winning BSU,” Rose said. “We are the best in the Big 12. That is a fact. … And we are such a proud club and organization to be promoting political action, academic achievement and just having a good time and really, really embracing that aspect of a Black community.”
Thompson said she would love it if Aux Cord Wars could return to campus in the future.
“I’m thinking like Welcome Week or something to kick off the school year,” she said. “I think that would be a lot of fun.”
If the competition does visit campus again, Rose said students shouldn’t hesitate to show up.
“It’s gonna be a great time,” she said. “You know, even if you don’t think you’re gonna have fun, you’re gonna hear songs that you know, you’re gonna meet people. It’s just a great social event.”
