Gator Growl

Planning on doing Growl with the Girls as an annual event! Everything was really entertaining, Goo Goo Dolls were excellent, Joel McHale was excellent, Sister Hazel guys were awesome/excellent! There was only one flaw, the seating situation, evidently there were some of us that purchased tickets for particular seats, those that purchased general admission (students?) thought our seats were open territory and it took us a while to convince them otherwise. Traffic coming in and getting seated needed to be handled better and they should have left the lights on until 7 so we could see where we our row and seat numbers.

For UF students, I would definitely recommend going, but for everyone else who just wants to see the special guests (like me), I'd say wait for an actual concert. Joel McHale was funny, and the Goo Goo Dolls were fun, but I definitely could have seen more of both.

Gator Growl is simply one of the greatest traditions of any college. Can't wait for the show this year. The changes that have been made should make the show great!

the three comedians were really good but it took 3 hours of other crap to get through the show

What happened to the world's largest pep rally? I realize that putting on an event of this magnitude must be a great undertaking but how is it that this was an event you could be proud of?My family and I came for alumni events since was "Homecoming" but were left wondering if it was actually over when the last comedian of three finished his act. Without sounding like an old fart.....In my day we had the world's largest paper fight, skits that made you laugh. Comedians that were staged in the center of the field where students would rush to sit on the ground, a real headliner band topped off by fireworks or a laser show.Plus not once was the "f" word mentioned.Sad to seeGator Growl turn into a "Gator Grunt"

Gator Growl was so amazing this year! The new stage setup worked really well, and our seats were right on the fifty yard line! It was great to see Drew and Ken of Sister Hazel as the emcees, and they even played a song! The UF band and cheerleaders were really good, and Albert and Alberta are always a good time. Joel McHale was absolutely hilarious, telling jokes about the Kardashians (as expected) and some funny stories about his kids (which were very sweet). The Goo Goo Dolls blew me away, playing all my favorites! They still look great and sound greater! The fireworks at the end of the show were stunning and I'm glad they brought them back. An awesome closer for a truly terrific night!

Let's start with the line around the stadium just to get in. Definitely not organized like game days are. Tickets said start time at 700pm. At 700p one could hear activity inside but there was no movement in the line. I think they had 40,000 people use one gate and approx 4 people scanning tickets. We got inside at 800pm. That being bad enough, our tickets actually had seat numbers on them, unlike in past I was told which was always general seating. Well, that was mob scene number two. Our seats were taken, of course, we arrive at them 1 hour after supposed start time. The crowd continued in for another hour people looking their assigned seats that had students in them because they were general seating. When it was time for us to vacate the seats we had squandered because ours were taken, we were told by the rude, drunk, group of obnoxious girls, they were not moving. Well, we made tthem as uncomfortable as we were. NOT AN USHER ANYWHERE!!! I guess they didn't employ them for this activity. Help was nowhere to be found. This ruined the evening for alot of people. I think this was terribly planned starting with admittance into the stadium, then the seating debacle. Make it all general or all assigned. The performers were great!

Joel McHale was hilarious at times and extremely awkward at others. Listening to him push boundaries was funny though. The Goo Goo Dolls left me wanting more personally. So did the fireworks at the end. I would have added a bit more comedy and music and cut the student acts that weren't very entertaining. Oh and Sister Hazel's opening was a pleasant surprise!

Amazing overall performance, quality of entertainment perfect for surroundings

Poor comedy act as well as musical performance-very forgettable- nothing really entertaining or memorable about the acts but the University of Florida ROCKS!! GO GATORS!! Our school spirit is awesome!! Audience was FAR too removed from actual stage -everything was "ant-like" and u basically had to watch a video screen to see show!! Have seen MUCH better gator Growls!

My only criticism is that the stage was too far away. Since the crowd is now smaller than it was when I used to go in the 1980's, it would be nice to have a more intimate feeling. If the stage was moved forward on the field, we would have been able to see the performances. Even with the big screens, it was hard to see.

This was the best Growl in the past 5 t0 10 years. The setup was great for visibility, sound was decent, and the show was very entertaining.

Gator Growl was fabulous for Gator fans. It is the biggest student run pep rally in the nation.

Good show. Joel McHale was very good. The sound system and large screens were inadequate. Very difficult to see some of the close up shots on the big screens from across the field. Goo Goo Dolls and Sister Hazel were both good.

I haven't been Gator Growl in years, many, many years ie Bob Hope, Rodney Dangerfield Robin Williams. Those were fantastic and memorable Gator Growls. I now have son attending UF and a wife with a Goo Goo crush so we decided to attend. The good: Joel Mchale Goo Goo Dolls Sister Hazel Fireworks The bad: Too long Poor Audio Stage too far away and projection screens not nearly big enough. From reading about the last few years I didn't expect much but was pleasantly suprised. There was a lot more smoking and boos 30 years ago so maybe that's what made the old ones better (except Bob Hope who was already loosing it) but I remember almost peeing myself at Robin Williams Lastly, these are college kids, what's with bleeps over the cursing????

The entertainers did a great job. Student skits as usual were lame, except for The Sarah Mclaughin one about rescuing FSU students. Screens were too small for those of us watching from the side seats, need to be larger and more camera zoom. Sound was okay but again, best if you were directly across from the stage. Lighting was good. Loved the fireworks but hard to see when not directly in front of stage. Too cold, need hot cocoa and coffee available.

The comedian wasn't funny. The skits didn't make much sense. The Goo-Goo Dolls were very good.

Arse event. Glad music is back. Artists were awesome

This had to be the worst Gator Growl ever. I likeJoel McHale on Talk Soup but he really bombed on stage. He was just very bad. Also, the stage and the screens were way too far across the field and the stadium was 3/4 empty. Seeing and hearing were both terrible. The sound system for the video skits was terrible and you couldn't understand what was being said or what the attempted humor was. The only bright spot was The Goo Goo Dolls, but by the time they came on most in the crowd were already very disappointed.

The school spent way too much time bashing other schools and not enough on entertainment. The best part was the comedian from the soup.

Gator Growl has been such a great show these past few years! Jabbawockeez 2 yrs ago, aziz, and NOW the comeback of fireworks!! SICKKK. Truly epitomizes what being a gator fan is all about. Can't wait for another great year to come out and support our boys when they need it the most and to support good ol' Muschamp! BOOM

Enjoyed Aziz Ansari's act but the rest of the show was tiresome. It was like a bad middle school talent show. Audio was poor. Stage location wayyyy down in the other endzone. Some sort of images were being projected on the field periodically but couldn't tell what it was supposed to be. Please budget for some production assistance.

awesome :))) even though i go to FSU i enjoyed this event very much

Event was unique as always, will definitely go back next year

Two of the three comedians were awesome. We had been to the event three years in a row. Has always been fantastic. But something was missing ... Oh yeah, the band. No band this year. Boo Hoo

To put it bluntly.....Gator Growl sucked!!! You can't hear anything, the skits are NOT funny, and no one cares about misc clubs dancing horribly on stage. I've grown up in Gainesville and went to many growls in the past. This will def be the last. Waste of $25

Unfortunately, Gator Growl was all special effects (that could not be seen by 2/3 of the attendees) and no substance. The sound system was not good and the jokes we could hear were not funny, especially those of the headliner. There was no interaction with the audience because everything was either filmed in advance or performed on a stage that was so far away, no one could connect with the performers. If I am going to view something on a video screen, I might as well watch it on TV. I do not understand why people could not have performed on the field so we felt some sense of them being at Gator Growl. For example, the winners of the soul fest competition would have been fantastic on the field. As it was, we could only see a few of them performing at a time. It's time to forget the special effects and return to the Gator Growl of old in which the attendees felt a part of the action.

Another great example of the Gator nation. Aizi and Kevin Heart were great.

The show was not funny and not appropriate for young people. I really wish it had been advertised as adult. We were in the midst of a lot of young people and they were not laughing either. Not only would I not recommend this show. I will not attend again. I really believe $100,000 plus could have been spent on much better entertainment! You advertised previous entertainers were Bill Cosby and Bob Hope who do not resort to smut humor. The fact that these "entertainers" chose to ignore the language guideline and make light of it should result in lighter paychecks.

Worst Gator Growl I've seen in decades. Format was like watching TV - not like a live event. Events, even the band performance took place on an unlighted field and were only visible when looking at the stadiums smallest monitor located in the North end Zone. Sound quality was inconsistent, but generally poor. Comedy acts were only marginal - but some of the disappointment might be because they were so far removed from the audience and the screen was so small (I actually really like the headliner when I've seen his acts befiore). Also no band and no fireworks and not even a decent light show of any kind. I could kick myself for forking out over $100 to take my family to what was essentially a poor quality TV show.

Went to see Aziz Ansari. His set was great, except I was flooded with useless UF homecoming drama for 3 hours to get to watch him. David Levy was okay, Kevin Hart was very funny.

Aziz Ansari was gross and nasty. The skits were cute.

Blue Key really needs to step it up. No fireworks for yet ANOTHER year - there have ALWAYS been fireworks. What's up with that? And I am sorry - but what was with the stupid HD videos being shown on the field that only the people in rows 50+ could even see (and the people in the boxes). I was in row 33 and for the 2 fifteen-minutes segments they did - I couldn't see a thing. And if you were on the student side, from what I was told, and were up high enough to see it, it was UPSIDE DOWN! I mean COME ON! What's up showing something only 1/4 of the crowd can even see??????? I want my $50 back! The video segments are USUALLY some of the real highlights of Growl and you deprived most of us of that. Why couldn't you show what was on the field, on the jumbotrons at the same time for those who weren't sitting up high enough or were on the wrong side of the field?????? In my opinion, this was the worst Growl I've ever been to, and this makes number 30. And while you're at it, get some better trained sound technicians. Mics not working, sound effects louder than the people we should be hearing, music over the comedians entrance... Get it together Blue Key!

Worst Growl ever, poor production, poor acoustics, sub par performers

All the Years going...this was the most disappointing...No Bands, No Fireworks...Comedians were mediocre

Great event! I went last year as a high school student and now I can't wait to go as an official gator!!!

Definitely recommended, going again next year! Totally worth the price, and I had a lot of fun.

Pit passes were definitely worth it. There is a lot of extraneous presentations and stuff that you wouldn't really expect to be there. Daya was ok, Snoop Dogg was great, the person on stage makes a big difference on how fun it is to be in the crowd.

I wish Gator Growl were not as vulgar and non family friendly. There were also SO many people smoking illegal substances there in the audience.

Great show with good sound quality. Easy access to the beer tent with usually no line at all! Awesome food truck selection.

The acts, Daya and Dogg, were great as advertised. But ALL other aspects of the show were horrible. Skits are no longer funny. The MC's were horrible, annoying, and one was completely dismissive of the memory of Tom Petty. Paraphrasing, "He was a great rock artist or something, but I really like hip hop. So lets talk about that instead." Make some noise!! If i never have that yelled at me again I'd be fine. You want a crowd to be loud, be funny, be talented. Last Growl for me.

I had a great time with my friends. The artists performing did a great job and the organization was well

Awful just awful. I'm an alumni and went with my 13 yr old son. Awful cursing and example of how to act.

It was aight but I was bored a majority of the time

The concert was very good and they had plenty of food to choose from

At first I was hilariously laughing at the white rapper whom was so cheesy. Then I was worried that Waka Flocka would get whip lash from his dredlock-swinging. However, Passion Pit came on and owned the stage. My friend and I initially made fun of his habit of sticking out his tongue for extended periods of time when he sang, but his musical talent was undeniable. Our section of the crowd was jumping up and down, and generally rocking out! The food trucks were tempting, but I'm a college student so my pockets be empty. However, my friend did buy some food and said it was really good. The alumni tent was nice but the older people kinda seemed out of place at this particular event. Also I would've liked to have had some carnival rides in all that open green space. Just thoughts, but overall great experience!

Missed part of the event because I was told by friends that in years past the music started after 8 (with other acts such as comedians and magicians before), apparently this year the music started at 6:30 so I missed 2 of the 4 acts. I thought the event ended too early

The food trucks are cool. The setup is cool. What is not cool is trying to please every person by hiring four mediocre artists rather than one great one. FSU gets it, how do you guys not? Gator Growl is becoming something that only freshman go to because the older kids would rather sit at home than waste money on a low quality concert. If you would actually hire an artist that is currently popular, Chance the Rapper for instance, you would see exponentially higher ticket sales and the event would redeem the reputation it now has. Also, I know there are funnier people to hype the crowd up than the three from this year. The girl was extremely annoying and I nearly left immediately because of her.

The PA system was absolutely terrible so I had a headache seconds after Timeflies got on stage. The hype squad was total trash. The first and last artists were decent but Wacka Flocka was on for thirty minutes and literally did nothing but jump around and yell into his mic. Don't go to this thinking it's going to be a festival because it's really just an unfunny, unentertaining, false idea of what a homecoming pep rally should be.

Can't wait for next year! The move to Flavet Field has undoubtedly taken Growl to the next level

This event is so awesome and I can't wait to come back next year!

1. This venue was geared towards the college age crowd. Was not my cup of tea and although this is a student run and organized affair, they should have taken into consideration that it was also alumni weekend where an older crowd participates in activities around the campus such as gator growl and should have picked more appropriate bands to suit all generations taste in music. 2. Also the release of the bands playing should have been done more than a week before date of the event

Already said what I felt in the review title. Came back to Gainesville for homecoming for the first time in many years. Growl was awful ... and the game wasn't much either (but that's OK). Certainly didn't live up to the Growl from years past.

This was best growl I have attended. Most were so vulgar I had to leave. Seemed the comm\\edian did not know what to say since he was not supposed to curse. Josh Turner was great.

I guess even large college towns such as Gainesville, FL are suffering from the ill-effects of our nations' ever declining economy. I attended Gator Growl every year from 1990 to 1994 while I was in undergraduate school at the University of Florida, and each time, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was sold to capacty of 80,000+ students and alumni. This was the first Gator Growl I have attended since 1994, and was stunned to see that tickets were only sold on one side of the stadium (and not even to half-capacity of the stadium). The show could easily have been cancelled due to lack of interest, or alternatively relocated to the Stephen C. O'Connell Center (otherwise known as the O-Dome. The stage, which always used to be set up at one end of the football field, this time was raised up in the middle of the seats all the way on the opposite side of the stadium from the fans. It must have felt awkward to the performers to be performing so far away from their audience. The small crowd could barely be heard singing along to the school's fight song, alma mater, Orange-Blue Chant, and the traditional two-bits cheer. The Homecoming King/Queen crowning occurred eye-blinkingly quick and seemed nothing more than a mere formality that was just as quickly transitioned from and forgotten. I hope this is just a sign of the economic times and will eventually improve.

I am disappointed about Tracy Morgan's performance. He didn't seem prepared. I have seen him do better. Now Josh Turner put on a great show and I would go see him again. Overall, we had a good time.

As a veteran of over 40 years of Gator Growls, this was one of the most disappointing. Tracey Morgan was terrrible, he spent no time preparing for this at all. Growl used to be a pep rally for the students, now it seems everyone wants it to be family entertainment, and that is not it's true purpose. Add the fact that the admission has gone from free to over $25, and that accounts a lot for the poor attendance. The stage position makes it hard to see what's going on, and the big screens really don't help. They need to put the stage back on the field, who cares if the lines get messed up, they get messed up the next day anyways. The main thing is to get attendance back up, and make it for students. Leave the kids at home, all they are there for is the fireworks anyways. Get some cheaper, less well known comedians and let them get their big start at Growl, like Jerry Seinfeld did. Remember, he was the second-line comedian behind Steven Wright, and was a relative unknown at the time. Cut out the videoed skits and let the students perform, let the crowd on the field so the performers can see someone. But most of all, lower the ticket prices.

Not funny, slow, boring, uninterested. Short. Seemed high?

The event was better than when I went 4 years ago. I miss the days of when the band played more on the field and the Florida A&M band use to play. I would like to see more of the cheerleaders pepping up the fans, (it is a pep rally) at the beginning while people are coming in also more during the show.

The program was great but a few things to respond on. The sound system was awful and you could not understand anyone that was holding the microphone to speak, really bad feed back in the system. Could not understand the people talking and also Tracy Morgan. Josh Turner was fabulous and his sound system was great. The event was setup on the opposite side of the field and you could hardly see the people. Josh Turner even made a comment about the people being so far away and he felt he wasn't in the crowd and he could not see anyone. Fireworks were the best I have ever seen.

Great time was had by all. UF definitely knows how to put on a Homecoming Pep Rally. The crowd was exceptionally well behaved and it was not the "crazy party" that it has been protrayed in previous years. LOVED the UF groups that won Talent Night and got to be represented at Gator Growl. Our favorite, of course, is the UF 18-girl accapella group, The Sedoctaves. LOVED their parody song. And the Dancers and Josh Turner were awesome too. Great time!

Not a bad night. Sure wish there was a way to get the stage closer.

Event was very disorganized, we had to wait for an hour in line with general admission ticket buyers to pick up tickets from will call, the stage was so far away from where everyone sat that you had to watch everything on a monitor, not worth it at all.

Stage was better in the East Stands, but still hard to see clear on the other end of the field.

Sister Hazel and Goo Goo Dolls were great! Joel McHale was pretty good, funnier than I was expecting. Glad to see the fireworks were back this year. I would highly recommend a more organized, and better supervised, ticket pick-up system. The line, if the mob of people in front of the O'Connell Center could be called a line, was terribly long. There was no denotation of where the lines for will-call pick-up and same day ticket sales ended. My boyfriend and I were in line so long that we missed the start of the show, and there were at least 200 people in line behind us. I would suggest stanchions to separate lines and well as either signage or staff available to notify guests which line they should be in. I think it would also help if will-call pick-up and same-day sales were held at different gates. Also, allowing guests to print tickets online would help streamline this process as well. The seating management system needs improvement as well. If reserved seats are being sold, then a specific area should be marked off, so that guests with general admission tickets (with no seating designation) know where they can and cannot sit. I had reserved seats, but there were guests there before we arrived who had to move and, as a result, were separated from the group they came with. I do not feel this was fair to them.