It’s not every day you can walk down Pollock Road in the middle of campus and find yourself in a mosh pit, but that’s exactly what happened at last night’s Nittany Block Party. The annual back-to-school event was headlined this year by EDM duo The Chainsmokers, known for their hits like “Kanye” and “#Selfie.” The outdoor show kicked off SPA’s concert series for the 2015-2016 academic year with a high-energy crowd, giving new freshman and old seniors alike a taste of what The Chainsmokers are all about.

The light show and visuals were simple, yet effective for an outdoor arrangement. EDM acts can occasionally overdo it with the lights, but these guys made sure the effects only enhanced the music instead of just being a distraction. The stage was small and the lights didn’t include the 3D background the group premiered earlier in the summer, which I was lucky enough to witness at the Firefly Music Festival in June. But hey, it was a free show after all.

The music exploded around me, 20 feet away from the stage dead center. It was a raucous crowd that didn’t stop jumping and dancing from beginning to end. People were incredibly close together and walking through it made me feel like a fish swimming in the ocean. The Chainsmokers rolled through their set, playing their original track “Roses” and other remixes like their Trove Lo “Habits” and Neon Trees “Sleeping With a Friend.” Everyone seemed to be waiting to hear “#Selfie” — the song that put these guys on the map. — but instead they stopped their set rather abruptly, much to the dismay of the fans around me.

The Chainsmokers put on an excellent show. The atmospheres of free concerts can be hit or miss sometimes, and keeping that in mind, I thought the show was one of SPA’s best shows in my short time at Penn State. At the very least, the Chainsmokers showed the students who came out a good time. And really, that’s what the Nittany Block Party is all about.