On March 31, 2016, the doors of the CFE Arena opened to over 1000 people for UCF’s annual Knight Fest. For those who don’t know, Knight Fest is an annual concert event that the Campus Activities Board and UCF hold every spring semester for students. It’s a treat for UCF students as a part of the activity and service fee that is included in tuition; students were able to get one free ticket with their student ID. It was also open to the public. Non-students that wanted to attend the event needed to buy a ticket for $25 from the Box Office. This year, Knight Fest featured The Chainsmokers, one of the most sought-out dance music groups at the moment that had been featured in the line-up of the biggest dance music festival in the U.S., Ultra, just two weeks ago.
The Chainsmokers are a duo comprised of Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall. They are most recognized for their 2014 hit ‘#Selfie’ that memorialized the narcissism of the current generation. However, in 2015, they released an EP branching away from their mainstream single with more of an indie sound, that featured their most recent hit ‘Roses’ feat. Rozes.
The concert began with the opening act at 8 p.m. This year CAB was able to get Daya, an up and coming artist to open. She is most known for her hit song ‘Hide Away’ and for being featured in The Chainsmokers track ‘Don’t Let Me Down.’
The main act came out on stage with gusto and commanded the arena with their powerful party music. The set consisted of a constant stream of dance songs that kept the partying going. They played fun remixes of well-known songs like Blink 182’s ‘I Miss You,’ Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake’s ‘Holy Grail,’ and a recent top-charter ‘7 Years’ by Lukas Graham, along with a myriad of their own music.
As the music played, smoke canons blasted to the beat in order to hype up the audience along with exciting graphics projected on large screens on stage.
Half of the duo, Andrew Taggart, interacted most with the crowd, constantly provoking the crowd to get rowdy and jump to the beat. The entire arena was full of people with their arms up bouncing to the sounds. For those who had never been to an EDM concert, it would have been a great gateway show, well put together and fun enough to convert any dance music cynic.
This event could not have come at a better time. The semester is a month from ending and it was a great and creative way to boost excitement and morale for the students to finish strong. The party music was like the sounds of summer calling.
They closed their set with the hit ‘Roses’ and a sneak peek of a new song officially released April 1, ‘Inside Out’ feat. Charlee. Confetti was shooting from canons and the place was full of positive energy. Overall, the night was success. People left with ringing ears and smiling faces.
