Mikey Foster and Scootie Anderson of the band Social House performed for students at The Mat in Parker Commons on Friday, December 10. Advertised as a “Holiday Concert” by the Student Activities Association (SAA), the arrival of Social House on campus was meant to provide students with a welcome break from the stress of finals week.

Though many of Social House’s songs were new to the audience, one song in particular, “Magic in the Hamptons,” was recognized within just the first few notes and elicited a roar of approval from the audience. Back in 2018, a clip of the song exploded on TikTok and became almost universally recognizable among users of the platform, even inspiring its own dance trend simply called “The Hamptons.”

As audience members sang along to the chorus, Foster and Anderson extended their mics to those in the front row and allowed their performance to seamlessly blend with the chanting of the crowd. “Magic in the Hamptons” was such a hit that as soon as it ended, Social House began the track all over again.

Another song that sparked an immediate reaction from the audience was the duo’s 2019 sensation, “Boyfriend”, featuring Ariana Grande. The moment Grande’s voice came over the speakers, the energy in the room reached its apex and dozens of students began to scream-sing along.  

“Colgate! Y’all givin’ me life right now,” Foster said before joining in singing the track that has garnered Social House more than 197 million views on YouTube.

Although Social House’s five singles and one EP have allowed them to dominate Spotify Wrapped playlists this year and gained them much deserved notoriety in the music scene, many of Friday’s concert-goers arrived with little awareness of them. 

“When I first decided to come to the concert, I didn’t really know any of their songs,” first-year Katie Maratea said. “Actually, that’s an understatement. I had heard it was a ‘Holiday Concert,’ and showed up expecting ‘Jingle Bells,’ but I love what I got instead!” 

Equally as dynamic as their music itself was Social House’s electric stage presence and ability to bring audience members into their performance both literally and figuratively.

“I felt like they were singing directly to me,” Maratea said. 

Throughout their performance, Social House engaged with the audience in every way short of crowd surfing. Anderson in particular made an effort to connect with every audience member through eye contact, first bumps, high-fives and even one wildly enthusiastic handshake from a student who held on for just a little too long. Similarly, his bandmate Foster made their performance to well over 100 people feel intimate by charming the audience with his words.

“COLGATE!” Foster shouted to the crowd between tracks. “Y’all one of the most lit schools we ever been to. Y’all in our squad now.”

Following this statement, Anderson and Foster began collecting phones from starstruck audience members to take “squad selfies,” even taking one for themselves. The duo later called for all those celebrating birthdays to come up onto the stage with them and sing an extra special birthday song.

“Y’all pulled up ready to party,” Anderson said. 

To end the night, Social House asked for the audience’s help to “light up” The Mat for their final song. One by one, phone flashlights ignited and students linked together as Social House played their most balad-esque song of the evening, “Haunt You”. As the track came to a close, smokey tendrils hung in the stage lights, and it was as if the entire venue were taking a collective breath. With one last “Y’all been lit,” from Foster and one final eruption of cheers from the audience, the concert was over, and students filed out of The Mat and into the night.

“That was the best way to end the week,” Maratea said. “Way better than ‘Jingle Bells’!”

Junior and SAA Student Director of Entertainment Sebastian Coco was incredibly happy with the number of students who turned out to see Social House and aims to set up even more performances like it in the months to come.

“I’m hoping to give every Colgate student on campus at least one amazing entertainment experience before the end of the year,” Coco said. “Next time, let’s absolutely pack The Mat!”

To stay up to date on upcoming SAA events, make sure to follow SAA on Instagram @saa.colgate.