This article is featured in the 2022 Green Key special issue.
Over Green Key weekend, students will have the opportunity to attend live concerts together all over campus, from the Collis Center to various fraternities and sororities. As this will be the first “big weekend” since the lifting of all campus COVID restrictions, many students are looking forward to celebrating as a community.
“This is one of the main times when the entire campus comes together. We see that at Homecoming, we see that at Winter Carnival, and then for spring term we see it at Green Key,” Elise Avila ’22 said. “It’s important to show solidarity and connectedness that we’ve all been missing.”
As the first Green Key since 2019, this weekend will have a large emphasis on the return to tradition –– and of course, being able to enjoy live music with friends and the Class of 2022 before graduation.
“With not having Green Key since 2019, I do hope that the suspense and anticipation has been building and everyone can just really buy in and put work aside for this one weekend that we really have before the ’22s graduate to just hang out,” Adelia Rattray said ’23.
Thursday and Friday
Kicking off Green Key, the Collis Center for Student Involvement and the Collis Governing Board are hosting up-and-coming artists and student bands on Collis Patio. Every concert is free to students.
“The Collis porch concerts are a chill event that you can walk by and there’s always food,” Cole Minsky ’22, the executive director of Programming Board, said. “Those are really great too for music over the weekend that’s not EDM, rap or pop. It’s usually more indie music or indie pop.”
This year, the Green Key @ Collis concert series began on Thursday night with What the Folk?! — featuring live music from Darlingside and Chance Emerson, as well as free barbecue and drinks, according to the Collis website.
Friday afternoon is Phi Delta Alpha fraternity’s annual block party, which sees students fill frat row to dance and enjoy live music. This year, the band Parrotfish will be performing.
Phi Delt president Tanner Randall ’23 said that it has been difficult planning an event that the Class of 2023 has never attended. Despite those challenges, he said he is also excited, as the block party is integral to Green Key.
“Hosting the first event of Green Key and kicking off the weekend is really important to us,” Randall said.
According to Randall, Webster Avenue will be closed to traffic, and there will be private security, Hanover police and Safety and Security officers present.
“I know that there are going to be a lot of people coming back to campus specifically for Green Key, and this is one of the events that I have heard people are excited to attend,” Randall said. “We’re excited to be able to facilitate a Dartmouth tradition when a lot of the traditions haven’t been held in the past two years.”
On Friday evening, Collis will sponsor a cookout dinner with student bands The Dandelions and Frank — who placed second and third in the Battle of the Bands competition — performing before the Programming Board concert begins, according to director of student involvement David Pack.
The mainstage PB concert will be held on Gold Coast Lawn at 6:30 p.m. Recent Battle of the Bands winner Moon Unit will be the first act of the concert, which will feature opener Doechii — who Minksy expressed personal excitement for — and co-headliners Saint Motel and KYLE.
“I’m looking forward to the concert in general because [Saint Motel and KYLE] were the highest ranked on our survey,” Minsky said. “Putting them together, 80% of students said they would be interested in either or both of those artists.”
Doechii, best known for “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake,” will be followed by indie pop band Saint Motel, best known for “My Type,” and rapper KYLE, whose most popular songs are “iSpy” and “Playinwitme.”
“I’m really looking forward to Saint Motel. I was very excited to hear that they were on the lineup,” Avila said. “Listening to their music now, getting ready for the concert, has only made me more excited.”
Following the PB concert, Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity will host DJ duo MC4D at 11 p.m., according to member Dylan Bienstock ’23.
Saturday
The Green Key @ Collis programming will continue on Saturday, with even more music and activities. Concerts will showcase artists including HUNNY, Charlie Burg, Cassidy King, sundial, Seeing Double, MyKey and Porchlight, along with performances from student bands Ramones Rehashed and The Stripers.
PB concerts director Emma Elsbecker ’24 noted that there will also be lawn games, a photo booth, face painting, water activities and fanny pack decorating.
The Dartmouth Organic Farm will hold its annual Brewhaha event from 12 to 4 p.m.. Bluegrass band The Rowdy Hours will perform, and there will be beer, kombucha, food and activities. Shuttles to the event will run continuously from the front of the Hopkins Center for the Arts.
On Saturday afternoon from 4 to 7 p.m., Psi Upsilon fraternity and Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority are continuing their tradition of hosting a concert together. They are hosting NOTD, a Swedish musical group best known for songs “I Wanna Know” and “So Close.”
“KDE by ourselves would definitely not be able to afford a concert of this size and Psi U just doesn’t have the space,” Rattray, a KDE social chair, said. “So, the solution is KDE hosts and Psi U helps us plan and finance it. It’s been a long standing tradition.”
Rattray echoed Randall’s sentiments that it was challenging to plan for Green Key while never having experienced the weekend. Though she said there has been a “learning curve,” Rattray noted that she has been in contact with the KDE ’20s for assistance, and she is excited to offer this experience to campus.
“I think NOTD is just good vibe music. You don’t need to know every word of the song to have a good time dancing,” Rattray said. “That was one of our primary goals.”
Saturday evening will include Ghost Funk Orchestra, hosted by Friday Night Rock, and Vladimir Caamano, who will perform a stand up show at Collis After Dark to wrap up the weekend.
During her freshman year, Avila said her favorite part of Green Key was getting ready for the concert with friends beforehand and enjoying the nice weather. This year, Avila is looking forward to spending the whole weekend making memories with her friends.
“I want to take advantage of more of the events because I didn't really do that freshman year,” Avila said. “This senior year, I want to do everything possible.”
Minsky said he is also excited to relax once the PB concert is over and enjoy all that the weekend has to offer after months of planning,
“I’m really excited for our first Green Key since freshman year,” Minsky said. “We’ve missed a lot of Dartmouth experiences these last four years, so I’m hoping people come together to celebrate this weekend and College tradition.”
