When The Chainsmokers took the stage in Walnut Park on April 26, they weren’t sure what their set list was going to include.

“We actually don’t decide what we’re going to play in our set until we get onstage,” said Drew Taggart, DJ for the duo and SU alumnus. “It’s just like the idea of chain-smoking — we feed off of each other and the crowd.”

And the crowd, consisting of girls clad in flower tiaras and boys sporting tank tops, was hungry for the biggest party of the year: MayFest.

“MayFest is always the best break from classes, and everyone just comes together and enjoys a good time, good food and good music,” said Amanda Al-Sayah, a sophomore television, radio and film and international relations major.

The festivities got underway at 1 p.m. when students began enjoying free food and dancing as loud music filled the air. Rapper Earl Sweatshirt headlined the show after Sound Remedy and The Chainsmokers opened.

The Chainsmokers are a New York-based DJ duo consisting of Alex Pall and SU alumnus Drew Taggart. Since meeting online and first collaborating on music in 2009, they have toured across the world, but performing in Syracuse was like coming full circle.

The two hope to bring a very distinct approach to electronic dance music.

“We really want to make something original and refreshing, and we’re still trying to find our sound,” Taggart said. “But we want to make more pop-sounding songs that everyone can listen to on their way to work or in an arena full of people.”

The crowd went crazy during the duo’s set, dancing without inhibitions and shouting as some students sat on the shoulders of other fans.

The energy didn’t stop when Sound Remedy took the stage. A mask-wearing DJ who started just a few years ago, Sound Remedy is finally finding his own sound and success.

After growing up with classical music and seeing what music had to offer, he was motivated to pursue EDM as a career.

“I’ve always loved electronic music, but when I graduated college and saw other people getting jobs that they were unhappy with, and I just didn’t want to do anything else, so I decided to go for it,” he said.

Sound Remedy describes himself as a “one-man show,” as his shows ultimately consist of just him and his computer, and has allowed him opportunities he never saw coming earlier in his life, including the chances to travel around the world with his music.

Fans chanted “Earl” as Earl Sweatshirt, his DJ and fellow Odd Future member Syd Tha Kyd walked onstage. The crowd was more than ready after Sound Remedy finished rocking his set.

People in the crowd bobbed their heads as Sweatshirt performed hits from his debut album, “Earl.”

He also treated fans to songs from his upcoming record, “Doris,” playing the beats from his charging iPhone. Between Sweatshirt’s high-energy performance and coaxing of the crowd to repeat things like, “I got kids” for a laugh, he seemed to capture the audience.

Jasmine Holloway, a sophomore in the Bandier Program for Music and the Entertainment Industries, thought Sweatshirt did an excellent job of getting the crowd excited. She took special note of how interactive he was with the audience.

Her only complaint: His set just wasn’t long enough.

Said Holloway: “People come to MayFest for a good show and to come together and have a good time, and that’s what Earl provided. He was the perfect ending to the day.”

Published on April 28, 2013 at 9:52 pm

Contact Ibet: ieinyang@syr.edu