The lights went dark; a drum roll-like thunder sound came out of the speakers and MAGIC!—the Canadian reggae-fusion band—came out on stage to perform their first piece, “No Way No.”

Sunday night’s concert, the second part of the Student Events concert series, featured openers DJ Pup Dawg, and Jamaican singer-songwriter Samantha J as well as the headliner MAGIC!. Student Events had not previously advertised DJ Pup Dawg, but, as it turns out, he travels and performs with Samantha J on a regular basis.

Lights went down at 8 p.m. to a small group of students congregated around the stage. In an interview with the Justice, Director of Concerts for Student Events Benji Bernstein ’15 said that they sold tickets for “half [the] capacity’s worth” and that “a couple hundred people come out to the show.” He attributed the low attendance rate to “the combination of [the concert] being [on] a Sunday night” and “in the heat of midterms for many students.”

According to Bernstein, when Student Events booked the concert early in the summer, it was scheduled to be on a Saturday night. The band cancelled and wanted to rebook on a Friday night. Bernstein said that in order to be “inclusive of everyone at Brandeis,’ they eventually settled on a Sunday night.

DJ Pup Dawg started off the concert with an interactive set in which he attempted to engage the audience. He asked questions interspersed within his mixes of songs like Drake’s “Started from the Bottom” and Cali Swag District’s “Teach Me How to Dougie.”

“Anyone had a few drinks before they got here?” he asked. Later, he called out all the regions of the country—encouraging people to shout when their home was mentioned. While DJ Pup Dawg casually introduced both of the subsequent performances, he focused on Samantha J, which made sense because the two work together.

Samantha J then came out to perform her first song, “Hot Gyal Anthem,” accompanied by two identically clad backup dancers. Every step in her set was neatly choreographed, and the movements were executed to precision. The backup dancers deviated into their own choreography, but at times—especially during the chorus—the three came back together to dance in sync. DJ Pup Dawg accompanied the singer all the while. A few songs in, Samantha J told the DJ to hold the music and addressed the audience, introducing her next song, “Run Come.” “It’s about freedom,” she said, “I just turned 18—I just finished school.”

After a break of nearly 15 minutes for set changes, it was time for the headliner. MAGIC! came onstage, accompanied by heavy bass drums, to an excited crowd. Lead singer Nasri Atweh, known simply as Nasri, was extremely lively on stage and made it a priority to interact with the audience. With laid-back but enthusiastic body language and a tendency to look right into the eyes of the audience, his demeanor was very likeable.

The band’s cover of “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” was particularly well-received. Before the song started, Nasri dedicated it to the “ladies.” His hip movements as he squatted low to the ground received some excited screams, and the audience sang along with the chorus.

In a few of the songs, guitarist Mark Pellizzer had some very complex guitar solos, which the audience loved. “Even when we rehearse, he goes crazy,” said Nasri, referring to Pellizzer’s intense and energetic demeanor.

“I know we don’t have a ton of people here,” he said, “but you guys are filling up the room.” The band proceeded with “Don’t Kill the Magic”—the band’s second single, released on April 4.

The set, as anticipated, ended with the band’s hit song, “Rude.” The audience seemed to finally come alive for this last song and sang all the lyrics—for the first time unprompted. Phone cameras were everywhere. The band ended about 15 minutes before the delineated end of show but stayed afterward to take pictures with the attendees.