Students kicked off May Weekend last Thursday night by attending Stoolapalooza 2011 at Toad’s Place in New Haven. The concert headlined mashup group The White Panda and featured rising musical artists OCD: Moosh & Twist, The Soundmen and hip-hop artists Eddy B & Tim Gunter.
The doors opened at 8 p.m. and the opening acts took the stage. The crowd favorite was the hip-hop duo from Philly, OCD: Moosh & Twist, who had the audience jumping throughout their entire energetic set.
“I think OCD definitely stole the show,” sophomore Tommy Frisina said. “I got to meet them afterwards too and they were really cool guys.”
The Soundmen, who like The White Panda produce remixes, had a strong reaction to their recreation of The Killers’ song “When You Were Young.” Eddy B & Tim Gunter performed multiple tracks, and Gunter’s “Black and Yellow” remix had the audience jamming.
“Toad’s was a rager tonite,” The White Panda tweeted post-concert.
At 11 p.m., the crowd wanted The White Panda to go on stage. They chanted for the group until it was their time to shine. With their white suits and panda masks, The White Panda took the stage and immediately began blasting their party music jams. People were swarming the stage, crowd surfing, dancing and even passing blunts.
“The vibe was indescribable. They get so into their music and the crowd responds to that,” sophomore Erica Salny said. “You can’t just watch them and nod your head to the music. You have to dance, jump, or fist pump, anything as long as you’re moving.”
Although some said they felt The White Panda’s performance felt like any other normal night at Toad’s, it seems most people enjoyed the mashup deejays’ live show.
“It was definitely better than a normal Saturday night at Toad’s,” sophomore Jessica Brown said. “It wasn’t as crowded and The White Panda made it even more insane than usual.”
Barstool U, a nationwide blog dedicated to college students, presented this year’s Stoolapalooza. While they may not be as high-profile as last year’s headliner Sam Adams, The White Panda lived up to the crowd’s expectations.
All of The White Panda’s music is available to download from their website at no cost.
