Fred Falke Rocks Beta Beach

The last place most people would want to go on a 50-degree fall night in Hamilton would be to the beach. Despite the night’s cold temperature, however, the Beta Beach partygoers certainly had their dancing shoes on – and they were prepared to get close to plenty of strangers, if for nothing more than simple body warmth.

Though unknown to many in the Colgate population, Fred Falke was definitely a great success. His blasting music unques-tionably transformed the atmosphere from a fraternity beach party into a huge dance concert. He played music for several hours consecutively, much to the delight of many students who did not want to stop dancing even for a moment.

Students who had listened to and enjoyed this upbeat artist prior to the party seemed especially impressed by his music.

“I was really excited to hear him play one of his songs that was just released a few weeks ago,” first-year Peter Flexner said.

The only negative aspect of Fred Falke’s performance was how long it took him to get onstage. While it’s well known that nobody shows up to this type of event on time, not having the DJ come on stage until two and a half hours after the party started was a little extreme. Plus, for those who arrived an hour or two late, the party was much too short.

“It ended way too early. I felt like the party was over so soon after I got there,” first-year Mike Dunnegan said.

For better or worse, Beta Beach was packed. People were danc-ing on the stage, on the boat at the edge of the “beach” and, most abundantly, in a great mob on the floor. From the middle of the pack, it appeared as if there was no end to the mass of people. However, around the back and outer edges of the dance floor, there was much more space for those who did not enjoy the crowds.

“Compared to most other events like this, Beta Beach wasn’t too out of hand,” first-year Kayce D’Onofrio said. “There didn’t seem to be much chaos.”

Even with sand stuck between their toes and jackets wrapped around their arms, everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves. There was plenty of dancing, great music and even free food and drinks. Many students, first-years especially, reported meeting some new, interesting people at the concert.

While some people did not like the crowds, the majority of the students seemed to genuinely enjoy the party, the excellent music and the people there. Overall, Beta Beach was a great time and everyone is looking forward to an even more successful event next year.

Contact Jaime Gelman at [email protected].