Generally peaceful, Harvard Yard last Friday became a night filled with commotion, laughter, and music as students of all grades gathered for the annual Crimson Jam. Hosted by the Harvard College Events Board (CEB) each September, this year’s event featured headliner Daya. Because it’s hosted in the Yard, the event draws a substantial number of first-years from their nearby dorms, bubbling in both excitement to meet new faces and the opportunity to attend a free concert in their backyard.
For the upperclassmen outside of the Yard, Sidechat posts about Daya performing stirred up some anticipation. It was a big feat for Harvard to pull Daya—many students in attendance were excited to hear her nostalgic 2010s hits, most notably “Hideaway.”
This year, there were three student-band openers—Vinyl Club, Boom Boom Sauce, and Midnight Curfew—before popstar Daya. Crimson Jam’s appeal to first-years more than other grades goes beyond its convenient location near the Yard at the prime time of September (sorry first-years in Hurlbut, Pennypacker, Greenough, and Apley). The excitement of Crimson Jam reinforces the fact that the Yard is a unifying place for first-years, who can meet each other in an organic way.
Daya performed hits including “Sit Still Look Pretty” and “Don’t Let Me Down.” Although several of her other songs were unrecognized by students, it did not weigh on the atmosphere, as the crowd continued to jump up and down and attempt to learn the unfamiliar lyrics throughout her set.
Caroline Fouts ’28 explained how her close proximity to the concert made the event accessible for her to attend. “I got ready with my friends in my dorm in Matthews, so it was really convenient being able to see and hear when she was going to get on stage.” Knowing a few upperclassmen already through athletics, Fouts said she could tell that the audience was mostly her grade. “It did feel like a lot of freshmen, which was also nice knowing that we’re all going to Crimson Jam together for the first time,” she said.
The fast-paced and energetic environment of the concert made it difficult for Fouts to talk to people, but this did not stop her from feeling a connection with her peers. “It was definitely hard to actually talk to people. But, I think being able to share the same vibes brought people a lot closer together.”
Keenan Zeidan ’28 shared the same positive sentiments as Fouts. While “Hideaway” was the main draw for him and his friends, the atmosphere of the concert, where he watched from inside the tightly-packed mosh pit, contributed to his fond memories of the night of joining strangers and dancing.
Zeidan’s one complaint about the night was the fact that the concert pretty much shut down right after Daya performed her last song. Daya performed for one hour, starting at 8 p.m., but the Yard started clearing out around 9 p.m., to Zeidan’s dismay. “Everyone was vibing, but just like that, it stopped super early,” he said. He and his friends hoped to linger in the Yard afterwards and talk to other first-years and even some upperclassmen. “We thought it would end at 11 p.m.”
Zeidan did, however, appreciate arriving to Crimson Jam earlier to talk to first-years when it was less crowded and to listen to the opening artists. This was a highlight of the evening, as the opening bands consisted entirely of Harvard students.
Jack Meyer ’25, who performed in all three acts, shared his experience performing in events on campus organized by CEB. In explaining how one of his bands, Midnight Curfew, was selected to perform, he said, “Midnight Curfew auditioned for Battle of the Bands for Yardfest and didn’t win, but the CEB liked us… We got to play at a lacrosse game in the spring for a CEB event, and play at some of their parties, and then we got Crimson Jam.”
With his experience in playing for numerous bands at big events, Meyer explained the process of catering the music his bands performed to match the upbeat pop genre of Daya: “We always, depending on the band I’m in, try to pick a mixture of songs we all like and have fun performing, as well as songs that we think will get the people going and be a fun time to listen to and dance to.” He also mentioned that it’s critical to feed off of the audience. “If it’s too much of one or the other, it won’t be enjoyable to us or it won’t be enjoyable for the audience.”
Although Daya’s performance was not the length of a typical concert experience, there is always so much more to Crimson Jam than sitting back and enjoying a show. The time set before the performance gave a personal vibe to the event, as Meyer described the opening bands as helping to prolong social events for first-years before the actual concert took over. The catered food in the Yard was another encouraging feat to draw first-years and upperclassmen to mingle amidst the upbeat music from the openers. Despite the usual concert-going experience at large stadiums with today’s top artists, Crimson Jam provides students with a special opportunity to experience a concert with our college friends in our current or former “backyard.”
Lucie Stefanoni ’27 (luciestefanoni@college.harvard.edu) far preferred Daya’s “Hideaway” to Nicky Youre’s “Sunroof” performance from last year.