Concerts at Patrick Gymnasium are usually good, usually packed and always sweaty. Last Friday’s Fall Fest was no exception.
The third annual Fall Fest brought highly anticipated performances by The White Panda, the Chicago based DJ mashup duo and Pittsburgh prodigy Mac Miller — a rapper who has been moving at full speed toward a career in hip-hop, and labeled as XXL’s “Freshman Class of 2011”.
“[The show sold] 3,200 tickets, making it one of the biggest concert series in UVM’s history,” UVM concert bureau member Seni Guendel said.
UVM Program Board (UPB) planned and UVM Concerts Bureau hosted the sold out concert.
“It’s great to see the University and student clubs support independent artist and the entrepreneurs endeavors,” junior Zach Lloyd said.
Just after 11:30 p.m., the night ended with students and UPB staff members left busy cleaning the preternatural debris of smashed plastic bottles, trampled flip-flops and discarded clothing and undergarments off the court floor of Patrick Gymnasium. The only evidence left behind of the overwhelming success achieved at the Fall Fest show was the musky smell of body heat and perspiring walls.
Rewind. The night began at 8:15 p.m., with student ears greeted with the eccentric instrumental sounds of the XX’s song “Intro.” The heavy treble riffs and the double tracked drums boom out, meeting the nonchalant flows and lyricism of the opener Jacob ES.
“A first impression is always important in deciding a lasting impression” sophomore Caitlin Lowe said about the night’s successful beginning.
The immense growth of the audience began to correlate with the exponential rise of temperature that was being experienced. Frequent cigarette breaks outside and chugging water were some of the only few remedies.
As it became apparent that The White Panda was soon to take the stage, students flooded to the floor, closing narrow pathways and any safe possibilities for navigating through first year romance, dance circles or bro clusters.
As Tom Evans, a.k.a. Procrast, and Dan Griffith, a.k.a. DJ Griffi, of The White Panda took the stage in their signature panda masks, their presence was instantly welcome with a liberating applause, female shrieks and a sea of fist pumps. Their set progressed for a nonstop hour. Playing hot releases of mash ups that weaved in and out of guilty house music pleasures, splicing up imaginative possibilities.
After a break during which many audience members milled out to the smoking area to have a cigarette or just cool off, Mac Miller came on around 10:45.
Miller intermingled a mix of current hits, such as “Frick Park Market,” some early songs, like “Good Evening” and “Get Up” and spontaneous free-styling.
Miller crammed many songs into his set and caused the crowd to cheer and dance.
“The vibe was good for what Patrick Gym could handle. It was the perfect social mixer for the freshmen,” senior Max Pomier said.
The performance exceeded the estimated end time of 11:15 by a short while, exiting the stage around 11:30, UPB traditions and variety committe member Justin Adelman said.
