The spring rain cleared just in time for Grammy-winning electronic duo The Chainsmokers to headline Boston College’s annual Modstock concert, hosted by the Campus Activities Board (CAB).
The concert, which commemorates the last day of classes, was much anticipated this year—tickets sold out in just under an hour. In the early evening on Thursday, thousands of eager students packed the Mod Lot, and many who didn’t get tickets still watched from behind the venue’s gates or from an elevated position in the multi-level parking garage.
Students lining the barricade made it known when The Chainsmokers, consisting of DJs Drew Taggart and Alex Pall, were seen waiting to get onstage, cheering and pointing as the music started up.
The audience erupted into roaring applause as Pall and Taggart entered the stage and settled behind their DJ booth, getting the crowd amped up by mixing to their hit songs “Paris” and “Something Just Like This.”
A group of CAB members joined them onstage, dancing behind the booth as smoke machines went off into the front of the crowd. The two spun some well-known songs into their mix, such as “Milkshake” by Kelis and “No Broke Boys” by Disco Lines and Tinashe, warranting more cheers from the audience.
“Alright, Boston College, how are we feeling? We gotta get y’all warmed up,” Taggart shouted into his microphone.
The first song that really got the crowd moving was their 2016 hit “Don’t Let Me Down,” during which Taggart stood on the DJ booth, jumping off during the beat drop. At certain points, the music was dampened, allowing the audience to sing and fill in the silence.
Soon after, they performed another one of their hit songs, “Roses,” which, as the sunset began to peak through the clouds, was undoubtedly a highlight of the evening.
“I need all the 2015 energy you still got left,” Taggart exclaimed as the song played, with students jumping to each beat drop.
As Taggart moved around the stage, Pall mostly remained behind the booth, mixing throughout the set.
The duo continued to mix in several well-known songs from other artists, including Don Toliver’s hit “E85” and Soulja Boy’s throwback, “Crank That.”
Before mixing in “Back to Friends” by Sombr, Taggart joked, “If you’re tired of the friend zone, let me see you!”
That wasn’t the only joke of the night, as he also made sure to call out the students lining the outside of the gates.
“What’s up with this section over here?” Taggart said, pointing in their direction. “If you don’t get good grades, do they not let you in?”
The show also included a guest performance by artist Arden Jones, who joined them onstage to sing his new song, “Someone New.” Jones matched the energy of the crowd, and his performance was met with applause before he exited the stage.
There were two openers before the duo began their performance: student band Letters in June and student GIB DJ.
Letters in June played four original songs, including “Trust” and “Write It Out,” bringing high energy and electrifying guitar solos to set the evening’s vibe.
Soon after, GIB DJ took the stage solo with his DJ set. Spinning to current trending tracks such as the Mall Grab remix of “Just the Way You Are” by Milky, GIB DK kept the crowd on their toes for the headlining act.
BC is a stop on The Chainsmokers’ current college tour, and throughout the evening, it was made clear they know how to connect with a student audience.
“Yo, this school is fun as hell, congrats, guys,” Taggart shouted.
He gave shoutouts to every grade, having everyone cheer and throw their hands in the air after announcing each one.
“Hey BC, I don’t care what anyone says about you, you guys are awesome,” Taggart shouted before closing out the show to the full version of “Something Just Like This” as the sun set on the Mod Lot.
