Bearstock, Mercer's annual spring music festival, will take place March 29 and feature performaces from DJ "OHNOHEDIDNT," Mothafunka and Neon Trees.
Here's what you need to know about the lineup:
Mothafunka
Mothafunka, a recently formed band comprised of eight Mercer students, will open Bearstock at 5 p.m.
Kiah Shealy '26, the lead vocalist of the group, says the band will play funk, "older R&B" and some newer songs during the performance, including songs by Kool & The Gang, Earth, Wind, and Fire, Silk Sonic and Frank Ocean.
The band performed together for the first time in September, where they participated in talent show hosted by QuadWorks. The Bearstock performance will be the group's second public performance.
"It's going to be a funky good time, for sure," Shealy said.
DJ "OHNOHEDIDNT"
DJ "OHNOHEDIDNT," Kristofer Smith, will follow Mothafunka, opening for Neon Trees.
Smith recently DJ'd for events on campus including the Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity, Inc. and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. fall new member presentations, according to Meredith Keating-White, the executive director of campus life.
Neon Trees
Neon Trees will headline Bearstock this year, bringing 2010's nostalgia to Cruz Plaza.
Neon Trees found themselves on Billboard's Hot 100 chart four separate times from 2010-2014. The band has two multi-platinum songs and one of the band's most popular songs, "Everybody Talks," was ranked 6th in 2012 by Billboard and remained in the top 100 for 39 weeks. "Animal," another of their more popular songs, was ranked 13th in 2010, and remained on the chart for 36 weeks.
The band formed in 2005 Povo, Utah, and is best known for its pop rock and alternative music styles. The band has five studio albums, the most recent, "Sink Your Teeth," debuted in 2024, 14 years after the release of their debut album, "Habits."
Megan Jackson ‘25 is a Journalism student with a goal of working in multimedia journalism. Megan currently acts as The Cluster's co-Editor-in-Chief. In her free time, she enjoys reading a good book or spending time with her sorority sisters.
