An introvert and an extrovert walk into Clydechella, and both have a great time. Clydechella easily became the highlight of the UCCS calendar year.
On April 24, UCCS hosted its first-ever music festival on the San Juan Quad. The event was opened with music by DJ Viaza and Chasyn before the headliner band, almost monday. The festival ran from 7 to 10:30 p.m.
Surrounding booths and activities provided constant entertainment for attendees, and club tables allowed students to connect with the community while they enjoyed music against the backdrop of a beautiful mountain view.
Music
DJ Viaza opened the festival with beats she put together in her Fort Collins dorm room, drawing a crowd to the stage. “People kept showing me songs on their phone to play,” DJ Viaza said.
Chasyn followed DJ Viaza. After playing the electric guitar, drums and piano; instruments typical of EDM artists, Chasyn pulled out a saxophone, delighting and surprising the audience. At one point, Chasyn came down from the stage and created a mosh pit in the audience. When asked by Christopher Lalone, the emcee of the event, if he would come back to UCCS, Chasyn said, “Instantly.”
almost monday arrived amidst adoring screams from the audience. They played a variety of songs, including every song from their album “Dive.” “So cool to be playing here, I feel like this is the prettiest campus view ever,” Dawson Daughtery, lead singer of the band, said.
During the set, one member of the crowd tried — and failed — to crowd surf his way to the stage. In a moment of kindness, the drummer for the band gave his leather jacket to a girl shivering in the front of the audience.
Despite the cold Colorado wind that blew in during their set, almost monday kept spirits high. “I kind of feel like Beyonce in this wind. It’s good production value,” Daughtery said.
almost monday stayed after the festival for a meet and greet with UCCS students and faculty in Kettle Creek.
Activities
Each activity offered students the chance to meet new people and experience the music from a distance. The highlight activity of the event was the face-painting booth. Student volunteers offered a diverse catalogue of options, ranging from dinosaurs to butterflies. The booth provided complimentary glitter, which is a must, of course.
Alongside the killer face-painting booth, the event also featured a DIY flower crown studio. Student volunteers guided the booth’s visitors through making wire crowns.
Games of cornhole littered the quad and a s’more-making station was available, where students roasted marshmallows around communal fire pits with a few SGA members, faculty participants and a very energetic shark mascot.
UCCS Radio manned a table at the event with free merch and information about the organization. Brody Schmidt and Tristan Snook of UCCS Radio handed out branded highlighters to passersby.
Food
Event services provided a spread of classic, summertime festival food. Fruit skewers, corn on the cob, churros and corndogs comprised the fare for the evening.
Red Bull envoys were stationed at the event and passed out a limited-edition grapefruit and lavender Red Bull flavor.
Food was free for students, and multiple rounds were set out. Sergeant Matthew Brown, one of the UCCS police officers, rated the corndogs 10/10.
Takeaways
Ava Knox | Opinion/LotB Editor
I had lukewarm expectations for this event. I usually feel awkward and out of place at concerts, but Clydechella was a delightful exception. DJ Viaza, Chasyn and almost monday handled the medium-sized crowd impressively, keeping the energy alive all night with their magnetic stage presence.
The best part of this event was the other UCCS students. I left with a friendship bracelet from a stranger and a bunch of new friends. Everyone was so friendly and enthusiastic, which truly elevated the atmosphere. almost monday was pretty cool, too.
Abigail Katharin | Features Reporter
This event taught me three things — well, maybe four.
Number one, the dining hall has incredible corn dogs. Number two, if you ask for a butterfly at a face painting booth, there is a good chance it’ll take up half of your face. Number three, despite considering myself an eloquent person, meeting a bassist face-to-face renders me at a loss for words. Last but not least, you can get anywhere with confidence and a press pass.
Lead singer Dawson Daugherty and Cole Clisby from almost monday. Photo by Anysia Hovel.