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 ”There’s a party down in Baton Rouge tonight!” folk artist Corey Smith yelled to the crowd Saturday night as he opened his act during this year’s Groovin’ on the Grounds concert. He was right.More than 6,000 people flooded the Parade Ground on a beautiful Saturday afternoon for Students on Target’s annual spring concert. And despite the LSU men’s basketball team’s 84-70 loss to North Carolina in the NCAA tournament, spirits were high, and it seemed people were ready to have “a good time not wasted.”Whether it was hip-hop artist Dee-1’s opening act, Corey Smith’s upbeat mix of country and Southern rock, Akon’s fast-paced show or DJ PK1 pumping out the current hits between sets, there were constantly groups of people dancing, socializing and having fun.”We throw Groovin’ on the Grounds each year as a way for students to get together and celebrate the school year coming to an end in a safe environment where they can enjoy music without drugs and alcohol,” said Students on Target President Tyler Abadie. “The weather is great, and people can have a good time without worries.”Each spring, Students on Target puts on the free concert for the LSU community with hopes to raise alcohol awareness and allow students to have a good time in an alcohol-free environment.Students on Target was able to raise $142,000 to throw Groovin’ on the Grounds, but even with help from sponsors such as Coca-Cola, Verizon Wireless and Campus Federal, the organization was not able to match the larger budgets from previous years, mainly because of the economy.”The economy has made a couple of our normal sponsors back out,” Abadie said. “So we tried to get a broad lineup that could reach a good audience within the budget we had.”Even with the smaller budget, Students on Target was able to put together a diverse bill.While alcohol was prohibited and LSUPD monitored the crowd, some pockets of students still managed to sneak alcohol into the show.”I think the alcohol-free environment is great,” Dee-1 said. “I’m not much of a drinker, and I try to put a positive message into my music. We’ve got to take a stand at some point.”The New Orleans rapper opened the show at 6 p.m. to a steadily growing crowd of not only students, but also adults and children from the Baton Rouge community.As his set progressed and more people showed up, the atmosphere changed to the feeling of a large party as people began to dance to the music and socialize.”This is a good environment,” said Tim James, sports administration junior. “I think the lineup last year was better, but Akon and Corey Smith are still good. It brings people out to the grounds. I like talking to people, so the more out here the merrier.”By the time Corey Smith took stage around 7:30 p.m., the crowd in front of the stage was packed, and even more people sat in the back of the Parade Ground on blankets and chairs.”I love coming to play in Louisiana,” Smith said. “This was a great time. The weather was beautiful, the atmosphere was good, and I love the fishing here. I also like playing this diverse lineup, too. It lets me play to a wider crowd.”As Smith left the stage, on-lookers were shoulder to shoulder around the stage waiting for the crowd favorite — Akon.A good crowd-pleaser, Akon, along with his dress-wearing DJ, Benny D, was able to excite the audience, prompting an explicit yelling battle between the two sides of the stage, massive amounts of dancing and an unedited sing-along to his hit, “I Wanna Love You.”Akon’s nearly two-hour show was the highlight of the night, and many students left satisfied.”Akon’s show was really entertaining,” said Benjamin Mabee, landscape architecture senior. “I would have liked to see a few more artists, but this was a good line-up considering the budget cuts and economy.”Even Akon had a good time Saturday night and appreciated the crowd having “a good time not wasted.””The show was hot,” Akon said. “People were actually sober and aware; that’s why it was good. They knew what was going on.”- – – -Contact Jake Clapp at [email protected]