The unifying quality of music was evident Saturday night at the annual B1 Block Party, as hundreds of Notre Dame and Saint Mary's students came together to kick off the new school year.
Student bands assisted Breathe Carolina, a Denver-based electronic rock duo, in opening the show for headliner Boys Like Girls.
Sophomore Michael Fernandes attended the B1 Block Party for the second time and thought it went as smoothly as it did last year.
"The crowd was lively and the atmosphere was intense," Fernandes said. "When Boys Like Girls went on the stage, the crowd erupted."
Fernandes said the atmosphere at the event was amazing, even though he did not particularly enjoy the music.
"Everything from the food to the rock climbing wall and bungee jumps was awesome to have at the concert," Fernandes said.
He said the concert was a "perfect way" to kick off the new academic year.
"The B1 Block Party is always a highlight of the fall semester and is something I've been looking forward to all summer," Fernandes said.
Freshman Drew Vista was eager to experience his first B1 Block Party, and he said the event was exciting. Vista said Boys Like Girls worked the crowd well, but the excitement turned sour when the band referred to the audience as 'Indiana'. He said he, as well as others who expressed their disapproval, thought Boys Like Girls was calling the school Indiana University instead of Notre Dame.
"People didn't like that so much," Vista said. "They could have called us out as 'Notre Dame.'"
Vista said he enjoyed the atmosphere of the event more than the actual music.
"I'm glad I went for the rock wall and the bungee jump, but not so much for the concert," he said.
Junior Kurt Beatty said the Block Party has gotten better every year since 2010.
"I wasn't particularly fond of the first concert when Guster played, so the quality of it this year was surprising," Beatty said. "While Breathe Carolina wouldn't be my first choice for an opening act, they did a good enough job of getting the crowd psyched for Boys Like Girls, who played a great concert."
As the concert progressed, Beatty said the anticipation for a surprise appearance by Taylor Swift grew quickly. The band recorded the song "Two Is Better Than One" with Swift for its 2009 album "Love Drunk."
"A lot of people showed up just hoping for the off chance that she'd be there," Beatty said.
Contact Adam Llorens at
allorens@nd.edu
