NBA Youngboy performed at Viejas Arena on Nov. 7 as his Make America Slime Again Tour comes to an end.
Throughout the “Make America Slime Again” tour, all venues he has performed at have proceeded with a no-bag rule following safety concerns.
University Police Department and Associated Students finalized the decision after receiving a request from the MASA tour. UPD confirmed this is the first time Viejas Arena has executed a no-bag policy at the request of the tour.
“Specific safety requests by tour management are a common practice, and this is the first no-bag policy request that Viejas Arena has received,” said Amanda Stills, the public information officer for UPD.
Stills also confirmed increased security measures for the night. Other cities Youngboy has stopped at also expanded their security citing safety concerns.
Shelby Zehm, a fourth-year biology student, has attended basketball games at Viejas Arena. Though she did not attend the concert, she spoke on venue safety.
“The security is pretty good,” Zehm said. “I’ve always taken a purse, (security) checks my purse, then they make us walk through metal detectors. I’m not fully familiar with what has been happening at NBA Youngboy concerts, but if there is an issue (of safety), then it’s valid for them to increase security. Like, if something happened at a basketball game that influenced students, then they would try and modify their security efforts to be better.”
While on his tour, there have been multiple reports of violence, including assault by a concertgoer on an usher in Kansas City.
Additionally, his Detroit and Chicago shows were cancelled by the venues without any stated reason.
Youngboy announced he would be going on tour on May 15, following his release from prison and pardon from President Donald Trump. His tour and album name “MASA” is a play on President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.
The rapper was sentenced to jail in early 2024 on gun and drug related charges. He was also previously in jail for assault charges.
Oliver Castillo, a third-year television, film and new media student, has attended events at Viejas Arena and says overall he felt pretty safe.
“There’s lots of security workers, cameras and scanners at the entrance,” Castillo said. “Security could probably be a little stricter. I felt pretty safe at the Ice Cube concert, especially since Viejas is a closed space. But given what has been happening at Youngboy concerts, security definitely has to be stricter and on high alert.”
For those who were attending Youngboy’s concert, lockers were available on a first-come first-serve basis in lieu of their usual bag policy.
“We encourage students and community members to follow the safety guidelines we routinely share, including remaining aware of your surroundings, reporting any suspicious behavior to authorities immediately and following all instructions from event staff and law enforcement,” Stills reiterated.
