The third annual spring concert, Eagle Jam, will take place Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. on Pride Field.

This event attracts thousands of members of the Hattiesburg and Southern Miss communities for an afternoon of music, food and fun. The Southern Miss men’s basketball game will follow the event at 5 pm.

The Southern Miss Activities Council (SMAC) collaborated with the Southern Miss Student Eagle Club and Southern Miss Athletics to feature singer-songwriter and 2009 American Idol winner, Kris Allen.

“I am very excited to have Kris Allen,” said SMAC adviser William Takewell. “He is more of a diverse artist that we have been able to bring in recent years. For past years it has been heavily country influenced, so Kris has a wider array of music than the past years, which I’m very excited about because it’s more pop. There will also be some R&B and blues, so we’re very excited.”

Eagle Jam began as a way to celebrate USM’s basketball players. “Eagle Jam is a concert that Southern Miss Activities Council started three years ago,” said Gavin Snyder, a senior communications major and SMAC president.

“It’s formally known as Spring Concert. When we founded this concert, we decided that since there’s no major USM concert in the spring (and) of course SGA has Eaglepalooza in the fall for the football team, (so) what if we could have that same concept as Eaglepalooza before a football game. (It) kind of (gets) everyone pumped for the basketball game.”

Eagle Jam will also consist of a concert featuring DJ Alicia Knox, local singer and USM student Gary Stanton and Taste of ‘Burg, which will include food from Buffalo Wild Wings, Georgia Blue and The Fresh Food Company. There will be inflatables for students and community members.

“I love helping with events on campus, and the spring concert is my favorite event,” said Natacha Rivera, a senior communications major and social event director of SMAC. “Kris Allen is an amazing performer and I am excited to have him perform for the Southern Miss community.”