“Thank you Streetlight, thank you Streetlight,” the crowd chanted after Streetlight Manifesto performed its encore. The band performed on Monday, April 20 after a long-awaited appearance on campus after the initial show was cancelled back in January.
USG sold about 400 tickets to the show and those who came out to party did not hold back. Ska-lovers from all corners of campus came out to enjoy the music and celebrate 4/20.
The room was filled with sweaty college students forming circle pits all night to the upbeat tunes. For some, the concert being canceled a first time actually worked in their favor. Many students who did not know about the concert initially were now able to get a ticket for this April performance.
The concert was originally going to be held Jan. 29, but due to an issue with a contract, USG canceled the concert with the promise of rescheduling.
Mike Millus, a sophomore political science major said that he was happy the concert was canceled the first time because it was only after the cancellation that he heard about the concert.
“I think that they were on point,” he said. “This is the best I have ever seen them play.” Millus had seen the band play five times prior to this show. He called the concert the “ultimate blend of ska music and alternative music at Stony Brook University.”
It seemed to be a trend that many of the students in attendance of the show have been fans of the band for years and have seen them play a few times before.
The student band who opened the show, Nice Shot, Kid, said that Streetlight Manifesto is a major inspiration of theirs and that the members listened to them all throughout high school.
“To share a stage with them [Streetlight Manifesto] was just mind-blowing,” AJ Ka-e, the drummer of Nice Shot, Kid, said.
To fit in with the ska-theme for the night, Nice Shot, Kid had two students come on stage and perform a song with them. Two horn players— Shane Gallimore, a freshman biology major and Dylan Schreiber, a sophomore civil engineering major—covered the song “Superman” by Goldfinger with the band.
The smaller venue allowed for a more interactive experience between the band and the students. Mike Brown, Streetlight’s baritone and alto saxophone player, pointed and made faces at the students who were jumping up and singing along.
The crowd wanted more after the band finished its set and left the stage the first time. After chanting for more songs the chant somehow turned into a “USA” chant.
When Streetlight returned to the stage for its encore, one of the band members, playing off the audiences’ joke, said “we are USA” into the mic.
The band encored with the songs “The Big Sleep” and “Somewhere in the Between.” The audience brought the energy for the last two songs of the night and formed a circle pit that took up most of the floor space.
“Best 4/20 of my life and that was my fifth time seeing them,” Abi Lopez, a sophomore business and women’s studies major, said. “Stony Brook did something right for once,” Lopez said about the fact that the concert got rescheduled.
Despite the aroma of cannabis floating through the air in honor of the “holiday,” the crowd was in control. There were a few students who attempted crowd surfing and others who went up onto shoulders, but these efforts were quickly put to rest by the tight security. Students came out to have a good time and enjoy the music, and the concert ran smoothly.
