With lots of color and noise, EDM trio Cash Cash performed a lineup of songs ranging from top 40 remixes to original tracks for the Student Programming Council (SPC)'s Homecoming Friday night at McDonough Field.
Cash Cash began its set at 10 p.m., after cookies and pizza were provided to students by SPC members. Students slowly trickled in after hearing bass-heavy tracks of the opening act emanating from the stadium, and by 11 p.m., a mass of students congregated at the front of the stage eager for the performance. With the popular Atlanta music festival Music Midtown coinciding with Homecoming weekend, a number of students voiced concerns that the Cash Cash concert would not attract the student body.
However, SPC member and College sophomore Brad Fitch remarked that there were as many students present for the concert as there's ever been. Additionally, 3,627 people attended, and it was confirmed that this was the largest turnout in the history of the Homecoming Ball, according to College senior Jon Goldman.
Neighboring Few and Evans residence halls even got into the spirit of Homecoming, placing light in their windows to create a colorful flash emanating from the buildings. Cash Cash kept the audience interested as they remixed such popular songs as "Rude" by Magic! and "Treasure" by Bruno Mars. Singing along was encouraged, and the duo frequently called to the crowd, "Y'all know what to do!" during popular choruses.
Many students had never heard of the EDM group before Friday, so the concert was an opportunity to learn about the trio's style.
Halfway through the concert, one member of Cash Cash informed students that they would be performing their original songs next and asked them to record and share the music with friends. Students eagerly complied, pulling out a sea of phones to capture the event.
College freshman Meggie Stewart summed up the concert with an enthusiastic, "It's awesome!"
A majority of the students stayed for the entirety of Cash Cash's set, although McDonough Field's proximity to the rest of campus allowed students to enter or leave with relative ease.
To ensure safety, Emory Police was in attendance at the event, manning entrances and walking the perimeter.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Cash Cash is from Roseland, New Jersey and is comprised of Jean Paul Makhlouf, Alex Makhlouf and Samuel Frisch – brothers and best friends.
They are billed as record producers, but the trio also boasts a number of studio albums featuring original songs including their most recent single, "Surrender," which was released this past week and is already climbing the charts. Cash Cash draws on the vocals of other musicians, including Bebe Rexha, while the trio provides the record mixing.
Emory's own AXIOM, a duo of Goizueta Business School juniors Matt Bernstein and Madhav Valla, opened at 8 p.m. for Cash Cash with a set consisting of mashups of songs including Fergie's "A Little Party" and "Sweater Weather" by the Neighbourhood. Axiom markets itself as DJs and producers.
As sophomores, the two were chosen to open for Danny Avila as part of last year's Homecoming Week, which is how they made their debut at Emory.
After performing at sorority events and formals, the duo said they have a better understanding of their audience.
"You need to be aware of what you're playing and the energy of what you're playing," Bernstein said.
Bernstein and Valla were also enthusiastic about the turnout during their set, as close to 200 people were present by the end.
Valla observed that the duo's previous experience also contributed to the set.
"We were more comfortable and pretty casual about it," Valla said.
– By Sarah Nagle
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