Students Pack Lot L for Music, Games

By Broadside Correspondent Carlos Perez

The Mason Day festivities went off without a hitch as students converged in the back of Lot L to enjoy free music, food, activities and shirts.

After a lengthy wait, students were itching to leave their books behind and soak up some sun before the beginning of finals week.

"This is my first Mason Day, but I doubt next year's will be able to top this one." said freshman athletic training major Solange Kouchacji.

Between the rock climbing wall, courtesy of ROTC, and the Alpha Phi sorority ladies pretending to throw students in jail, there were plenty of activities for students to enjoy, including rides and free food.

Students also had the opportunity to win $50 from Apple Credit Union for wearing their Mason blackout shirts.

The event, put on by Program Board, also provided students with plenty of live music.

Attendees enjoyed a variety of music from bands including the Dub City Renegades, The Influence, Earthtone, Redshift, No Compromise and The Independent, a band comprised of students.

Attendance this year appeared to be higher compared to last year’s event when Gym Class Heroes performed in poor weather conditions.

Students across the board agreed that the weather was barely shy of perfect this year.

“The sun’s been out all day and the coolest breeze has been blowing,” said sophomore Jenny Khut. “I couldn’t have painted a more perfect day if I had had the chance."

The mid-day festivities provided a welcome alternative to the T-Pain concert, featuring Sophia Fresh and Tay Dizm, later that night.

While a large portion of the student body looked forward to the indoor, evening, hip-hop based concert, the alternative music played in Lot L provided a balance to Mason Day.

“Are you all ready for T-Pain tonight?” The Independent frontman Dan Goldberger asked the crowd. “Meh,” was largely the response.

But however much apathy for vocoder-enhanced choruses the crowd in Lot L displayed, the energy never faltered.

As the festivities in Lot L dwindled, students were anything but ready to end the party.

Some kept dancing, others got in line for the tilt-a-whirl, and nearly all were ready to move in to the Patriot Center to enjoy T-Pain's auto-tune-ridden rhythms well into the night.