GW Program Board appeared to announce the alternative pop music duo The Driver Era as this year’s headliner for its Spring Fling concert in an Instagram post Friday, before deleting the announcement less than 15 minutes later.
The now-deleted post stated that this year’s Spring Fling, an annual concert hosted by the GW Program Board, would kick off with headliner The Driver Era in the Charles E. Smith Center at 7 p.m. on April 19. A member of Program Board did not return a request for comment on whether The Driver Era will headline Spring Fling and why they deleted the announcement from their Instagram account less than 15 minutes later.
“You’re not gonna want to miss this ride,” the deleted post said.
An agent from United Talent Agency, which represents The Driver Era, also did not return a request for comment on whether The Driver Era will perform at Spring Fling and why Program Board deleted the announcement post.
Program Board’s announcement came after more than two months of promoting the spring concert and teasing the headliner reveal on their Instagram. The headliner reveal was originally set for Friday — the day the now-deleted post aired — according to an April 2 Instagram post.
Ross Lynch, who first rose to fame on the Disney Channel television series “Austin and Ally,” and his brother Rocky lead The Driver Era and have garnered millions of streams on tracks like “A Kiss” and “Malibu.” Previous Spring Fling headliners have included rapper Quavo, indie pop singer Maude Latour and hip-hop artist Swae Lee.
Last year’s Spring Fling featuring Quavo and early 2010s star Jay Sean as the opener drew a low turnout in the Smith Center after Program Board pivoted from years of free admission for students to charging between $25 and $60 for tickets.
Tickets for this year’s Spring Fling were set to go on sale Monday, with tiered pricing and a limited number of student-discounted tickets available at the box office, according to the now-deleted post. It is unclear whether tickets will still go on sale Monday or how much the tickets will cost.
The April 19 concert would mark the third Spring Fling in the Smith Center in recent years. Program Board previously held the concert outside in University Yard every year since 2013, besides Quavo’s performance in the Smith Center last year and rapper blackbear’s headline set in the Smith Center in 2019 to avoid the threat of inclement weather and make the concert a “a bigger and more exciting experience for everyone.”
The Driver Era is set to release their fourth studio album “Obsession” April 11, including their groovy and ‘80s inspired lead single “You Keep Me Up at Night.” The duo will embark on the second leg of their U.S. tour May 30 after five nights across Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Brazil this month.
