No joke: The Paradox will bring rock back to Eisenhower Auditorium on April 1

UNIVERSITY PARK (Monday, March 16, 2026) — The Center for the Performing Arts Spotlight Collective will welcome the return of rock to Eisenhower Auditorium with online-viral band The Paradox.

The Paradox will introduce the next generation of music with its alternative pop-punk music style in its Penn State debut at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, in Eisenhower Auditorium.

This up-and-coming quartet is no stranger to breaking the mold. As the first Black band to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, The Paradox is channeling gritty nostalgia into a modern pop-punk revival, catching the “indie sleaze” wave with its infectious, electric energy.

Reserved-seat tickets are $14 for a University Park student, and $29 for non-students. Tickets are available online, by phone at 814-863-0255, or in person, weekdays 10 a.m.– 4 p.m., at Eisenhower Auditorium.

Visit The Paradox online for more information about the artist as well as details for Penn State student buyers.

The event is presented with the help of The Spotlight Collective and arts engagement assistants at the Center for the Performing Arts, a unit of the College of Arts and Architecture.

Who is The Paradox?

From TikTok to touring, pop-punk band The Paradox has hit the ground running, aligning itself with widely recognized artists such as Travis Barker from Blink-182 and Green Day.

The band’s viral popularity led to performances at major festivals, including the When We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas, and the 2025 Warped Tour in Long Beach, California. The Paradox is booked for appearances at this summer’s Bottlerock music fest with headliners Foo Fighters; as well as the Welcome to Rockville festival, in a lineup with My Chemical Romance and Guns N’ Roses.

The Atlanta-based band features Dangerfield on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Donald Bryant on bass, Percy “PC3” Crews on drums, and Christopher “Xelan” Bernard on lead guitar and background vocals.

Watch The Paradox perform “Do Me Like That.”

For fans of

Green Day and Pierce the Veil

Travis Barker and blink-182

Punk-pop earworms

Skater bois

Influence of Motown on pop

The Spotlight Collective

Now in its fifth year, The Spotlight Collective is a registered student organization affiliated with the Center for the Performing Arts. Created out of the Student Advisory Council, the group is led by students serving as arts engagement assistants and provides a student voice in shaping the CPA’s programming and engagement efforts.

Our mission is to connect the Center for the Performing Arts with the wider Penn State student community by offering insight into student interests, planning student-centric events and fostering meaningful engagement opportunities. Membership is open to all undergraduate students at University Park.

Acknowledgments

A grant from the University Park Fee Board makes Penn State student prices possible.

Find us

The Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State, a unit of the College of Arts and Architecture, aspires to create connected, sustainable, and equitable communities, where everyone experiences joy, belonging and creativity.

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