Both fists raised toward the ceiling, Kaskade bounced behind his turntable. The hum of pounding electronic beats and the familiar fuzz of bass pulsed through the speakers inside the Carrier Dome.

‘I know it’s cold out there,’ Kaskade shouted to the crowd, a frenzied pit of tangled arms and flailing fist-pumping. ‘But we’re keeping it hot in here.’
When the bass dropped, so did a flurry of enormous white balloons. They floated above the crowd lazily, flashing in and out of view as blinding strobe lights flickered. A rush of static coursed through two tall video screens flanking the stage he stood on.

Kaskade’s set, the first headlining performance of an electronic dance music artist brought to campus by University Union, entranced the crowd in the Dome on Friday night for UU’s annual Block Party.

The concert was Kaskade’s first college gig, and the disc jockey joked about engaging in college traditions while on campus.

‘I made a joke on Twitter about streaking on the Quad since this is my first college show,’ he said in an interview before the show. ‘But that’s before I realized how cold it was. It would be a little too cold to go fully nude.’

Indie pop duo Phantogram took the stage right away at 6:30 p.m. with keyboardist Sarah Barthel playing the keyboard as her band mate Josh Carter strummed his guitar.
Smoky blue and yellow lights danced across the stage during the group’s moody set, playing softly sung, beat-heavy tunes from their most recent album, ‘Nightlife.’ They kept the crowd interactions short, focusing on the music. Only Barthel addressed the audience with a few breathless words.
‘They’re cutting us off,’ Fisher said as the duo closed out its set and the backstage crew ushered them offstage. ‘But f*** it. We’re going to do it.’
The indie pop group packed up its equipment. More students, some wearing flashy green and pink fireworks glasses handed out by UU representatives, made their way from the bleachers to the pit.
Then Cold War Kids, a California-based indie rock band, came on and the house lights dimmed. Under hazy blue lights, lead singer Nathan Willett grabbed the microphone and began howling.
‘It’s a short set for us tonight,’ he said between songs, moving between a standing microphone and a piano set up on stage.
The group received its biggest crowd reaction when firing up fan favorites, including breakthrough single ‘Hang Me Up to Dry’ from debut album ‘Robbers & Cowards’ and the slower ‘Audience’ from its latest EP, ‘Behave Yourself.’ Willett wailed into the microphone while guitarist Dann Gallucci and bassist Matt Maust faced each other, strumming bluesy riffs.
‘We want to keep it moving,’ Willett said in an interview before the concert. ‘We’re trying to get in as many beats per minute as we can.’
Cold War Kids rounded out its set with a spirited rendition of bluesy hit ‘Hospital Beds’ before Willett graciously thanked the crowd and exited the stage.
‘Cold War Kids brought great balance,’ said Nicole Penn, a freshman psychology major. ‘They filled the alternative spot for the show.’
Students pushed towards the stage during the lull when guitars, drums and the piano were shuffled offstage in favor of an oversized turntable. The crowd chanted the name of the DJ. When UU Director of Concerts Ken Consor walked onstage with UU President Rob Dekker, the Dome erupted with energetic shouts.
In what Consor said was a Block Party first, the two representatives snapped a picture of the crowd and encouraged students to tag themselves on Facebook after the concert.
After a few seconds of thunderous silence, Kaskade took his place behind the turntable and began to play ‘Eyes.’ The video screens flashed dazzling geometric shapes and patterns and, all on their feet, those in the crowd danced furiously.
‘C’mon, let’s do this Syracuse,’ he shouted, as a roar swelled from students squashed in front of the stage. As the crowd clamored, he pumped the bass up a few more decibels.
The first thumping bass drop set the tone for the rest of the night, rattling the floor as fists rose. The DJ never took a timeout from crafting his beats, spinning one continuous stream of electronic music. He spoke very little, letting his mixes do the talking for him.
When the stage lights turned back on, the remnants of popped balloons littered the ground and the sweating mob of students left the dance floor with dazed faces.
‘Kaskade had a great set,’ Penn said. ‘It really brought out the techno dance-loving kids.’
Even though hip-hop is still the biggest draw, Consor said UU would definitely consider bringing more Electronic Dance Music artists based on the turnout.
Said Penn: ‘I wasn’t disappointed at all.’
ervanrhe@syr.edu