Which holiday weekend in State College is your favorite? Some may say State Patty’s weekend, or some will even say Arts Fest weekend. However, for a lot of Penn State students, THON weekend is where it’s at!
Penn State’s THON weekend is a 46-hour no-sitting and no-sleeping dance marathon — all in the pursuit of finding a cure for pediatric cancer. THON is known to have mystery performers every year to hype up the crowd at the Bryce Jordan Center, so let’s first rewind and check out some past performances, and then we’ll talk about this year’s artist: Daya!
THON 2017: Joe Jonas and DNCE
For any fangirl (or boy) who went through a crazy Jonas Brother phase (don’t worry — you’re not alone!), Joe Jonas rocked the Bryce Jordan Center in 2017. Joe Jonas is known to be a huge Penn State fan and even celebrated his 21st birthday at a bar in downtown State College. Jonas and his band DNCE played pop hits like “Cake By The Ocean” and “Toothbrush.” They also covered several iconic pop tunes, including songs from the Spice Girls and Britney Spears. We love you, Joe!
THON 2018: Misterwives
For any dancer or spectator who is into Indie music, this is the performance for you. Misterwives, an indie rock band from New York City, made the audience want to get up and dance all night long! Misterwives ended their performance with their biggest hit “Own Our House,” which hyped up the crowd and wrapped up an awesome THON performance. Rock on, Misterwives!
THON 2019: Mason Ramsey, aka “Walmart Yodeling Kid”
For anyone who has been on Twitter within the last decade, you know and you love Mason Ramsey. Ramsey, the 13-year-old “yodeling kid” from Illinois, captured the hearts of the audience during his THON 2019 performance. Ramsey performed “Lovesick Blues,” the song that helped him rise to fame, and wowed the audience with his superior talent at such a young age.
And…the moment you’ve all been waiting for! Drumroll please…Who was our mystery performer of THON 2020?
After a highly anticipated week full of random guesses and rumors, Daya most definitely stole the show at THON 2020! Daya, a 21-year-old from Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania captured the audience’s heart during her performance at THON 2020.
Daya took the stage with a trendy Moschino white dress, paired with casual white slip-ons. She began her surprise performance with one of her top hits “Sit Still, Look Pretty,” and the Bryce Jordan Center was brought to life yet again. Spectators in the stands were laughing with their friends, simply enjoying the moment.
The dancers, dare we say it, were dancing the night away! Smiles radiated throughout the Bryce Jordan Center, filling the stands with positive vibes. Daya also sang another one of her hit songs, “Hide Away,” and the whole crowd continued to go wild!
Daya closed her concert with the perfect way to end the night: inviting the the Nittany Lion on stage! After her performance, she announced that she was going to be releasing new music very soon. VALLEY can’t wait to hear it!
To finish out the night, Daya left an inspirational message to the dancers about their power to beat cancer.
“Let’s beat cancer! Let’s DO IT!,” she yelled. At the end of the day, it’s all For The Kids!
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