As part of the annual Spring Fair concert, The Chainsmokers performed along with Marian Hill and Shwayze. The outdoor concert was held on the Hopkins campus at the practice field on Friday, April 15. 2,500 tickets were sold for the event.
The Chainsmokers is a duo of DJs from the United States: Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall. Their first chart-topping single “#Selfie” was released in 2014, and their debut EP was released in October of 2015. Two days after their performance at Hopkins, the pair headed to Coachella, an annual music festival held in California.
The March announcement of the performers for the annual concert received mixed responses from the Hopkins community, but many students were happy with the selection.
“I was definitely excited when they announced it was Chainsmokers,” sophomore Gigi Habiby said.
Marian Hill, the first in the lineup to perform, consists of two songwriters from Philadelphia: Jeremy Lloyd and Samantha Gongol. Like The Chainsmokers, the duo is also relatively new, having released their first EP in 2013 and having had “One Time” as their first top-forty hit in December of 2015.
Shwayze, an American rapper, performed second out of the three artists. He has been performing for longer than the other two artists, having released his first chart-topping song, “Buzzin’,” in 2008.
The three performers all received an overwhelmingly positive response from the crowd. Most people crowded toward the front of the stage.
At some points, the crowd even became a little rough as people tried to push their way closer to the front. Several people chose to stay away from the mass near the stage, dancing and singing along to the music on the sidelines.
The performers also interacted with the audience throughout the show.
When The Chainsmokers performed, they often paused to gauge how the crowd was feeling. They did, however, refer to the crowd as “John Hopkins” a few times, which amused most students.
Shwayze at one point asked the crowd whether they preferred his old or new music.
Many students had a very positive reaction to the concert when asked about it afterwards. Freshman Elly Goldstein commented on the performers’ interactions with the audience.
“Personally, I really enjoyed the concert. I love pretty much all concerts because of the energy and the atmosphere of them, and the crowd was definitely full of people who were enjoying themselves and the music,” Goldstein said. “All the performers were so great when it came to interacting with the audience, which makes any show so much better.”
Freshman Anthony Lewis echoed Goldstein’s positive response.
“As the highlight of the best weekend at Hopkins, the music of the Spring Fair concert left nothing undesired or feeling untouched,” Lewis said.
While many were pleased with the performances, others noted that they would have liked to see more from the artists.
“The concert was a lot of fun and very well-organized. All the artists did a good job playing the songs people really wanted to hear, but I think that there was a general feeling of disappointment that The Chainsmokers didn’t stick around for an encore,” freshman Stephen Brao said.
Despite the lack of an encore, many stayed behind for a photo with The Chainsmokers. However, due to their scheduled performance at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., they had to leave almost immediately. Students complained about the rowdy crowd.
“I got there early to get a good spot in the crowd by the stage, but eventually had to leave due to the overwhelming amount of pushing and to get water. Marian Hill and Shwayze were entertaining, but The Chainsmokers definitely stole the show. I had a great time with friends, but not sure if it was worth $30,” sophomore Kellie Hunn said.
Junior Raegan Hensley commented on her own experiences.
“I got knocked down onto the ground and a guy stepped on my arm, but then I went to the back and it was so much better and a lot more fun,” she said.
Moreover, some students added that they setup of the stage made it difficult to see the artists.
“It was hard to see The Chainsmokers because we were so much lower than them, hence I couldn’t see over their DJ booth,” sophomore Rachel Mueller said.
Even those who were not able to attend still found ways to enjoy the concert.
“It sounded good from the UTL,” junior Alyssa Wenzel said.
