Taking advantage of the warm weather and the first weekend of the school year, University students crowded Prospect Avenue for fall 2017 Lawnparties.
By 10 a.m., students began gathering at 1879 Arch, where they received wristbands allowing them access to the headliner show at Quadrangle Club and to the various food options interspersed between the eating clubs.
Long lines formed for the food trucks, which offered free ice cream, tater tots, and doughnuts, among other options. Water and lemonade stations were also provided to help students through the humid day.
“Undrgrnd Donut was a new vendor this year,” USG Social Committee member Tom Hoopes ’20 noted. The doughnut truck was extremely popular among students.
“The doughnuts were a lifesaver,” Alex Caldwell ’20 said.
Doors opened at 2:30 p.m. for the main show. Awkwafina, a rapper and comedian from New York City, performed for about half an hour.
Awkwafina told the crowd that she has performed at Princeton before, although this was her first time on an outdoor stage.
“The fact that [Lawnparties] is outside gives it a cool barbecue feel,” Awkwafina said in an interview following the show. “The crowd felt energetic and happy.”
For her final song, “My Vag,” which went viral following its release in 2012 and jumpstarted her career, Awkwafina invited students onto the stage to dance and sing alongside her.
“If the energy is good sometimes it works out,” Awkwafina said about inviting students onstage. “I like to have students up there because it’s their show and it makes other students really happy.”
Tinashe, the headliner, took the stage after 4 p.m. and performed for over an hour, accompanied by two backup dancers. Known for singles such as “2 On” and “All My Friends,” for which she provided vocals for Snakehips, Tinashe describes her music as a mixture of R&B, hip-hop, and alternative. She was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2015 BET Awards and her third studio album is awaiting release.
“I thought Tinashe was a good performer but most people didn’t know her music, besides ‘2 On’ and ‘All Hands on Deck,’” Brendan Bowling ’18 said. “Most of her performance was predicated on her dancing.”
“The opener is in the beginning stages of her acting career, so she still has open slots for us, but is about to hit the big screen,” USG Social Chair Lavinia Liang ’18 noted. “The headliner has a good body of work and a second studio album coming in the future.”
Other eating clubs hosted performers throughout the day, including Michael Carsely at Cloister Inn; CRWNS at Tiger Inn; Charlie Baker ’17 and LÉON at Tower Club; 3am Tokyo at Cottage Club; Nico the Kid at Charter Club; No Sir E, Tygermouth, and Geotheory at Terrace Club; Antyx at Ivy Club; and Nico & Vinz at Colonial Club.
“Nico & Vinz brought a lot of energy to their performance, as well as that European flavor,” Alistair MacDiarmid ’20 said.
“Logistically, [Lawnparties] went very well,” Liang said. “The performers were all very cooperative, and the weather was cooperative as well.”
The weather was a point of concern for Lawnparties this year, considering the cold and rainy conditions of spring 2017.
“You never know what the weather is going to be like, but, being an outdoor event, Lawnparties depends so much on it,” Liang added.
Luckily, the warm weather held for the duration of the show, and many students considered this Lawnparties the best they’d attended.
“It was the best showing and largest crowd I’ve seen at the main act,” Hoopes said.
Alex Adamczyk, a student at Carleton College who attended Lawnparties with a friend, was also happy to see the large crowd.
“It’s exciting to see darties [day parties] at another school,” he said.
“It’s good to see everyone, especially the freshmen, out for Lawnparties in their finest preppy attire,” Zach Bampton ’20 said.
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