Lil skies headlines spring fling among brews and bruises

Jacob Downey

He/Him

Editor-in-Chief

5/1/24

Another Spring Fling has both sprung and flung, ringing in the beginning of finals season. In the hours leading up to doors opening, a line of guests encircled Merrill eager to sign in and begin their pregaming.

Entering the event was a party in its own right. The sober-ish shouting echoed throughout The HUB courtroom, later evolving into chanting. Administrators and faculty including Melina Baker-Murphy, Jackie Nelson, and Joanne Launders were all on the scene facilitating the security process. Once outside, assuming you did not wipe out on your way in, the festival was yours to enjoy.

The live music kicked off with a performance by Battle of the Bands winner Witches Window. The alt ensemble hit the ground running with a cover of “Say It Ain’t So” audible from as far as Langdon Woods. “Are they playing Weezer outside my home?” posted one Mary-Lyon resident to their Instagram, “Rivers Cuomo needs to be extradited for this.” Their set included covers from Weezer and Green Day-adjacent bands as well as some original songs. 

A small crowd was posted up outside of Heritage Commons. This group of what very well may be the smartest Plymouth Staters enjoyed the concert both for free and with a half-decent view. Mary-Lyon residents too, as always, had some of the best seats in the house, assuming they were not trying to get to bed early.

Between performances music continued to play and the crowds continued to grow. Several of the songs played were noticeably non-explicit versions. Despite requiring two forms of ID to enter, this added layer of protection for our virgin ears is commendable.

During this lul it was advantageous to worm your way out of the crowd to the Beer Tent, posted up outside of Ellen Reed. Here, under armed guard, one could enjoy a $5 drink safe from the hoards of underclassmen.  Pizza was also provided freely to students by Chartwells outside of the Alumni Office.

Lil Skies was fine. The crowd appeared at his rowdiest during his set. One attendee was dragged out of the pit by two officers from the sheriff’s department, handcuffed, and walked across the Mary-Lyon Lawn.  The audience got loud during the songs we all knew but it was otherwise a niche, low-energy performance.

One police officer estimated that there were anywhere between two and ten arrests by the midpoint of the concert. The exact causes have yet to be disclosed but likely causes include fighting, public urination, and even some amount of pizza being thrown into the crowd. 

The evening’s official programming ended with a DJ set by Groove Boston who played a medley of pop songs to a crowd of rainbow glowsticks.