On Sept. 19, droves of eager Dartmouth students gathered on Gold Coast Lawn to watch a viral sensation turned modern-indie-staple take the stage. His colorful, mellow performance received a mixed reception from attendees.
As a part of the College’s Weeks-of-Welcome, a series of events and socials intended to help make the transition into the fall term easier, Sloan Struble, more famously known as Dayglow, took the stage to perform at Fallapalooza. He was joined by the alternative pop band INOHA, who opened the show.
The fall concert, put on annually for over a decade by Dartmouth’s student-run Programming Board, has hosted a variety of up-and-coming artists such as COIN, Peach Tree Rascals and Claire Rosinkranz. However, this year’s headliner reflected a move toward more mainstream acts.
Most indie fans know Dayglow, who has become a household name in the genre since his 2019 debut “Fuzzybrain” exploded in popularity over the pandemic. Many students knew at least one viral hit from the lineup: Dayglow’s iconic “Can I Call You Tonight” and INOHA’s breezy “Seventh Heaven,” both of which have blown up on TikTok and racked up hundreds of millions of streams over the past five years.
Jamie Nicholson ’26, a member of the Programming Board’s executive board, credited a “generous gift from an alumnus” for making it possible to secure the world-famous singer.
She added that the Programming Board has been able to improve their lineup for Fallapalooza as it becomes a better-established Dartmouth tradition.
“We’ve been doing this for a long time, so we kind of know what we’re doing now,” she said.
Beacon Atornphatai ’29 said he was shocked to see such a prominent artist at Dartmouth and thrilled to witness “Can I Call You Tonight” performed live.
“It would have been a missed opportunity if I didn’t come watch it,” he said.
Other members of the Class of 2029 agreed, saying they didn’t want to miss the song they knew from TikTok.
“Back in the day, scrolling on TikTok, I heard a lot of Dayglow and INOHA songs like ‘Saturday Night' and ‘Hot Rod,’ and so I had to be there, I had to go see those in person,” Brody Gifford ’29 said.
Whether they knew some of his songs or none at all, most agreed the show was a fun experience.
“I know people who have never heard him still had an amazing time, and I know people who know some of his songs and [also] had an amazing time,” Holland Riddell ’29 said. “I feel like it’s just such a good vibe. You can just listen to the music and have a good time.”
Riddell described the performance as “very enjoyable,” admiring how “personable” Dayglow was with the crowd.
“He was checking in with us every now and then, engaging with the crowd on top of singing,” she said.
Riddell’s enthusiasm wasn’t universal. Oscar Rempe-Hiam ’29 criticized certain aspects of the performance, saying that he felt Dayglow’s “energy on stage was really low.”
“He wasn’t engaging the audience,” Rempe-Hiam explained. “It didn’t seem like he was happy to be there, [...] it kind of felt like, ‘Oh, I’m too good for a college campus show.’”
Some students also felt that the opening act, INOHA, outshone Dayglow. Gifford reflected on the underwhelming follow-up to a dynamic first act.
INOHA “was doing a lot better job with crowd work,” Gifford said of the Texas-native band. “I feel like Dayglow was just sort of going through the motions.”
While Dayglow’s performance received varied reactions, the production quality of the event left many students impressed. Waves of multicolored lights, booming music, an ice cream truck and glowing accessories for attendees created a lively, vivid atmosphere.
“I thought the lights and sound were incredible,” Rempe-Hiam said. “It looked really cool.”
But that didn’t make up for the energy deficit, he said.
It “had all the potential to be a sick performance,” he added.
Nevertheless, the Fallapalooza experience this year was more than just a concert. Riddell described it as “a community-bonding experience.”
“We were all just so pumped and excited to be together at Dartmouth for the first weekend since classes started,” Riddell said. “Getting to be with that new group of people who all want to let off steam […] was really fun and energetic.”
Nicholson said that the “big turnout” rivaled past Green Key concerts. Still, the crowd’s general enthusiasm was her biggest takeaway.
“People really like Dayglow on this campus,” she said.
