As if the last day of classes after a long semester isn’t cause enough for celebration, Swae Lee gave Boston College students all the more reason to live it up with an animated performance at Thursday’s Modstock concert.
The Campus Activities Board (CAB) hosts the Modstock concert annually to commemorate the last day of classes. Unlike last year’s rain-spattered concert, the sun was shining all evening, and the crowd’s energy reflected it.
With beach balls tossing in the air and thousands of students packed in front of the Mod Lot stage, Modstock was sure to be an energized success even before Lee took the stage. Pulling up in a black minivan, the crowd made it clear he had finally arrived as cheers emerged from the front rows of the audience.
Lee’s DJ took to the stage first, spinning hype songs such as Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode” to get the crowd jumping. Then, within 10 minutes of arriving on campus, Lee was in front of the audience.
Running up to his hit “No Type,” a track from his well-known duo Rae Sremmurd with brother Slim Jxmmi, Lee immediately set the tone for what would be among the most dynamic concerts BC had seen.
The crowd sang along and cheered loudly when Lee followed up with “Come Get Her” and “No Flex Zone,” other well-known tracks from Rae Sremmurd.
“Is Boston always this lit?” Lee asked the audience in between songs as the crowd of students jumped with their hands in the air.
Aside from reviewing his hits, Lee also teased new music to promote his upcoming album, which is set to be released this summer.
But undoubtedly, the highlight of the evening was Lee’s performance of his hit song “Sunflower” with Post Malone—the song that “started it all,” he told the crowd.
“The weather is lining up perfectly, ’cause you all are my sunflowers,” Lee said as the song’s signature percussion-line intro blasted out the speakers.
Nearly everyone in the crowd—die-hard fans and nonfans alike—recognized the instrumentals. With the sun setting behind the clouds as the crowd of voices joined together, it was a moment that perfectly captured the magic of the last day of classes.
Although the song slowed the tone of the concert down a bit, Lee kept the crowd going as he continued to play upbeat songs from his discography.
“Make sure you make this shit unforgettable—let’s get it,” Lee shouted as the opening notes of “Unforgettable,” one of the most notable rap tracks of the 2010s, blared through the speakers.
What made the concert especially memorable was not only the familiar songs and the energy of the crowd, but also the fact that Lee seemed to genuinely enjoy the performance, interacting with the crowd frequently.
“Anybody from Boston?” He asked, as many cheered loudly.
As one of his most iconic songs, “Black Beatles,” started to play, Lee called on the crowd to take part in the Mannequin Challenge, the viral trend backed by the song that swept social media in 2016. The audience froze in place until the lyrics dropped, then instantly broke into dancing and rapping along, making it a standout moment of the night.
“Black Beatles in the f—ing city,” Lee screamed.
This year’s sold-out show also featured two opening acts: Magnolia, a student band voted in through a CAB student poll, and Caltha, the winner of this year’s BC’s Best competition.
Magnolia kicked off the concert with their original track “Freckles and Flowers,” followed by a lively mix of original songs and crowd-pleasing covers like Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie.”
Caltha took to the stage shortly after, cheered on by a crowd of friends and fans gathered at the barricade. Performing all original tracks from their newly released album Chicken Liver Testimony, the band kept the energy high. They even teased the crowd with a quick guitar riff from Swae Lee’s hit “Black Beatles,” building anticipation for the headliner.
Not only did Lee provide top-tier, nostalgic entertainment for the evening—he gave students motivation to maintain their momentum with exams coming up.
“Make sure y’all finish strong,” Lee told the crowd as he finished out the show. “I am proud of y’all. Y’all are the f—ing future, believe that!”
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