MTSU needed a band to play at Party in the Grove that would fit the momentum of this football season – and they found just that.
Davvn, a self-taught pop-rock band from Nashville, Tennessee, headlined Party at the Grove, a tailgating event to boost school spirits hours before the homecoming game on Sept. 20.
Student Government Association President RJ Ware introduced Davvn before McCall Bliss, the band’s lead singer, showcased her engaging crowd work, asking Blue Raiders how they felt.
“How’s everybody doing today?” Bliss said. “Are you ready to rock out with us?”
Davvn kicked off the set with “brb ttyl,” the title track of their 2024 album, highlighting nostalgia for the early 2000s.
While the lyrics left much to be desired, the small yet pumped-up crowd gathered near the front of the stage reflected the energy the band brought to the stage.
The band introduced special guest Jack the Underdog, a pop punk artist and songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee. Jack climbed the stage, grabbed a pink microphone and joined the band to sing “Substance,” which the pair released in May 2025.
Davvn asked the audience if Jack could steal the stage away for one more song from his discography called “SAD TODAY,” and the all caps were not kidding. The music and vocals were so loud that, when walking away, the noise from hundreds of Blue Raiders seemed faint in comparison. Still, the performance encouraged cathartic dancing in the crowd.
Throughout the set, Davvn checked the crowd’s pulse, establishing a relationship with the audience.
“This has been such a blast to be here with you at Homecoming,” Bliss said. “Are we gonna win tonight? Hell, yeah!”
After saying farewell to Jack – for better or worse – Bliss introduced her fellow band members with Brandon on the drums and Mike Nuzzolo on the guitar.
The band often references the Y2K aesthetic in their work, which is played up by Bliss’s ripped fishnets, platform combat boots, pink highlights in her hair and props like a pink flip-phone whipped out during Davvns’ performance of “any other girl.”
The song, notably about Bliss’s insecurities, featured a voice memo from the singer-songwriter’s mom.
“Hi, honey,” the voicemail said. “I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been thinking about you. I know you’ve been feeling like you’re not good enough, but I just wish you could see yourself through my eyes.”
After the song, Bliss confirmed the voicemail was from her mother, “if anyone was confused,” Bliss said.
The band offered up covers of “Take Me Away,” from Disney Channel’s “Freaky Friday,” and “Teenage Dirtbag,” by Wheatus, before closing out its set, rooting for the Blue Raiders and thanking MTSU for the opportunity.
“Go, sports,” Bliss said. “Thanks for rocking out with us.”
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