Walk In Lay Down
Annual concert event
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Walk In Lay Down (commonly referred to as WILD[1]) is an annual concert event held in the Brookings Quadrangle at Washington University in St. Louis and has been a campus tradition since its inception in 1973. WILD, produced by the WUSTL Social Programming Board, is sponsored by the Washington University Student Union and is the largest student run event at the university.[2] WILD is free to university undergraduate students and has rooted itself in the campus culture as an exciting time of the semester for students of the university to get together and celebrate free live music, food, and friends.
History
WILD was first held in 1973 and was originally presented as a movie screening event. Around the 1980s, the event then expanded to incorporate musical acts to accompany the movies. By the early 1990s, the movies were dropped altogether and WILD became the music festival that it is now.[3] In 2013, production of WILD was passed on from student group Team 31 Productions to the WUSTL Social Programming Board.[4]
WILD was built on a history of Washington University hosting great music including Ray Charles (1959), The Righteous Brothers (1966), The Temptations (1966), the Kingsmen, Simon and Garfunkel (1967) the Loving Spoonful (1967), the Yardbirds (1967), the Grateful Dead (1969),[5] the Velvet Underground (1969), Jethro Tull (1970), Sly and the Family Stone (1973), Frank Zappa (1977), the Replacements (1987),[6] BB King (1987).[7][8]
The event is named for an old tradition in which students would bring sofas into the quad and lie on them while watching the performances. Although this tradition is no longer allowed, in Fall 2007 the university permitted that inflatable couches be allowed in the quad during the concert in an attempt to revive the tradition.[9]
Due to the university hosting the second 2016 presidential candidate debate on October 9, Fall WILD 2016 was cancelled for the first time in 30 years.[10]
In 2017, an "alternative WILD" was staged in protest to the headliner act, Lil Dicky. A walkout was staged followed the performance by the opener, Lizzo.[11][12]
T-Pain was meant to headline Spring WILD 2019 but pulled out last minute due to a mandatory vocal rest. Roy Woods was booked as last minute as an additional performer as Loud Luxury was bumped to headliner. Elley Duhé was also meant to perform, but had to cancel.[13]
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020, the university suspended in-person classes, requiring students to remain home for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester, causing Spring WILD 2020 to be cancelled. Subsequent WILD events were also cancelled before finally returning to campus in Spring 2022 with headliner Zedd.[14]
Past WILD performers
The following is a chronology of past WILD performers.[15][16]
| Semester | Headliner | Other Performer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 2025 | Flo Rida | Mustard |
| Spring 2024 | Joey Bada$$ (at diminished capacity due to safety and weather concerns)[17] | Iyaz |
| Spring 2023[18] | Flo Milli | Peach Tree Rascals |
| Fall 2022[19] | Cancelled due to safety concerns | |
| Spring 2022[20][21] | Zedd | IDK, Chris Mardini |
| Fall 2021 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | |
| Spring 2021 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | |
| Fall 2020 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | |
| Spring 2020 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | |
| Fall 2019[21] | A$AP Ferg | Kiiara, Mindchatter, Gosha Guppy |
| Spring 2019[22][23][24] | Loud Luxury | Roy Wood$ |
| Fall 2018[25][26] | Carly Rae Jepsen | Tinashe |
| Spring 2018[27][28] | Young the Giant | Dizzy Wright, Molly Kate Kestner |
| Fall 2017[29][30][12][31] | Lil Dicky | ARIZONA, Lizzo |
| Spring 2017[32] | Jason Derulo | Natalie La Rose, Vanic |
| Fall 2016[33][34] | Cancelled due to Presidential Debate | |
| Spring 2016[35] | The All-American Rejects | The Knocks |
| Fall 2015[36][37] | Kygo | Magic Man |
| Spring 2015[38][39][40] | Mac Miller | Botnek, Clockwork DJ, Choo Jackson |
| Fall 2014[41][42] | Icona Pop | GRiZ, Five Knives, Lowell |
| Spring 2014[43][44] | Childish Gambino | 3lau |
| Fall 2013[45] | Chance the Rapper | Karmin |
| Spring 2013[4][46][47][48] | Atmosphere | Mat Kearney, Yeasayer |
| Fall 2012[49] | Wolfgang Gartner | Popeska, Pierce Fulton |
| Spring 2012[50][51] | Fitz and the Tantrums | Dum Dum Girls, Petra and the Priorities |
| Fall 2011[52][53] | Mike Posner | The White Panda, Moosh and Twist |
| Spring 2011[54][55] | Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros | Flying Lotus |
| Fall 2010[56] | Wale | Amanda Blank, Major Lazer |
| Spring 2010[57][7] | Cold War Kids | Shwayze, Sobriquet |
| Fall 2009[58][55] | Method Man and Redman | Passion Pit, K'naan, Deskhop |
| Spring 2009[59][60] | The Black Keys | The Cool Kids, B.o.B, Filligar |
| Fall 2008[61][62] | Talib Kweli | David Banner, Little Brother, Kid Sister, Nite Owl, Maromio |
| Spring 2008[15][7][63] | George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars | Under the Influence of Giants, Will Hoge |
| Fall 2007[15][64][65] | Lupe Fiasco | DJ Unk, Sugarhill Gang, Kid Beyond |
| Spring 2007[15][65] | OK GO | Reel Big Fish, Cut Chemist |
| Fall 2006[15] | Guster | Rahzel, Eliot Morris |
| Spring 2006[15][66] | Ben Folds | Matt Nathanson, Duncan Sheik, The Feed |
| Fall 2005[15] | Lil' Jon & the Eastside Boyz | Lil' Scrappy, The Quor, Stevie Stone, Toyy |
| Spring 2005[15] | Robert Randolph & the Family Band | Sister Hazel, Michael Kelsey, The Hatch |
| Fall 2004[15] | Ozomatli | Nappy Roots, Murphy Lee |
| Spring 2004[15] | Live | Lucky Boys Confusion, Ingram Hill, The Hatch |
| Fall 2003[15] | Busta Rhymes | Talib Kweli, Sac Lunch |
| Spring 2003[15][67][52] | Better Than Ezra | Tony Lang Band, Sac Lunch |
| Fall 2002[15][52] | The Black Eyed Peas | Jurassic 5 |
| Spring 2002[15] | Jurassic 5 | Everclear |
| Fall 2001[15] | Benefit for 9/11 | |
| Spring 2001[15] | Crazy Town | Eve 6, Saliva |
| Fall 2000[15] | The Roots | Javier Mendoza Band |
| Spring 2000[15][52] | Outkast | Dispatch, Matt Bar |
| Fall 1999[15] | G. Love & Special Sauce | Argonaut Tour, Nathanael's Creed |
| Spring 1999[15][7] | They Might Be Giants | The Coup |
| Fall 1998[15] | King Floyd | |
| Spring 1998[15] | Stir | The Getaway People, Original Blunted Soldier, Orange Tree |
| Fall 1997[15] | De La Soul | Rondo's Blues Deluxe, Five Star and the Inhalations |
| Spring 1997[15] | The Samples | The Scofflaws, The Guts |
| Fall 1996[15] | Souls of Mischief | Isaac Green and the Skalars |
| Spring 1996[15][68] | Porno for Pyros | The Roots |
| Fall 1995[15][7][69] | Guided by Voices | Man or Astroman, Poster Children, Trouser |
| Spring 1995[15][70] | The Pharcyde | Lowey Bridge |
| Fall 1994[15][71] | Morphine | Veruca Salt, Reggae at Will, The Charles Minnow Experience |
| Spring 1994[15][72] | Lords of the Underground | El Caribe Tropical, Luna |
| Fall 1993[73][7] | They Might Be Giants | Pere Ubu, Mercy Me |
| Spring 1993[7] | Widespread Panic | Flowerhead, Wagon |
| Fall 1992[74] | The Spin Doctors | |
| Spring 1992[7] | A Tribe Called Quest | |
| Fall 1991[4][75] | Warren Zevon | Trip Shakespeare; Movie: Silence of the Lambs |
| Spring 1991[7][76] | De La Soul | Main Source, Dry Bachelors |
| Fall 1990[77][76] | Henry Lee Sumner | |
| Spring 1990[16][78] | The BoDeans | Evil Sulu, Pedestrians |
| Fall 1989[16][78] | The Romantics | Movie: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? |
| Spring 1989[16][79] | The Risk | Suede Caesar; Movie: Silence of the Lambs |
| Fall 1988[16][79] | The Romantics | Three Merry Widows; Movie: Ghostbusters |
| Spring 1988[16][8] | Otis Day and the Knights | Alazone, The Happy Children; Movie: The Sure Thing |
| Fall 1987[16][8] | Steve Earle & The Dukes | The Stranded Lads; Movie: The Blues Brothers |
| Spring 1987[16][80] | Jason and the Scorchers | Rondo's Blues Deluxe; Comedian: Eric Kornfeld; Movie: Ferris Bueller's Day Off |
| Fall 1986[16][80] | The Busboys | Kool Ray and the Polaroidz; Movie: An American Werewolf in London |
| Spring 1986[16][81] | Dickey Betts, Gregg Allman | Jake's Leg; Movie: Cheech & Chong's Up in Smoke |
| Fall 1985[81] | Pure Prairie League | Movie: Fast Times at Ridgemont High |
| Spring 1985[4][7] | Chuck Berry | Movie: Romancing the Stone |
| Fall 1984 | ||
| Spring 1984[82] | REM (in Graham Chapel) | |
| Fall 1981[7][83] | The Pretenders (at Graham Chapel) | |
| Spring 1981[84][59] | U2 (in Graham Chapel) | |
| Spring 1978[4] | Asleep at the Wheel |
Commentary on name
Student Life, the university's newspaper, published an op-ed that pointed out that the name Walk In, Lay Down is not grammatically correct.[85]