It didn’t matter if it was a week night, if we had exams or 8 a.m. classes the next day, we were ready to get the party started.
Wednesday night, students at the University of New Hampshire (including myself) donned in their whites to “white-out” the Whittemore Center in Durham, New Hampshire, and rock out to world-famous DJs R3HAB, Alesso and featured headliner David Guetta.
It was their third stop of the Winter White Tour. Mass EDMC (Massachusetts Electronic Dance Music Community) and NV Concepts collaborated together to put on this tour, featuring house DJs from around the world, tracing through the New England area.
It all started in December when rumors started circulating about a David Guetta concert and the Winter White Tour Facebook page began popping up in my newsfeed. There was loads of hype surrounding the event and with a solid lineup of collaborating DJs opening this headline act, it wasn’t surprising when everyone was RSVPing to go to the February concert. The tickets for their stop in Durham actually went on sale last semester during finals week (talk about bad timing), but it didn’t stop me from waiting in line almost 12 hours in advance to score my floor ticket even if I had to lug my textbooks with me in line to study for my finals.
But it was totally worth it for me, from the moment I descended the stadium stairs into the Whittemore Center, usually iced over for home ice hockey games (go Wildcats!), which that night was jam-packed with students.
Dutch DJ R3HAB kicked off the night and really set the tone for the night, playing mixes of “Feel So Close“ and “We Found Love.” The glow paint suds were effervescent in the air and people were really feeling it. The stage was perfectly set for a rave between the psychedelic LED lights, and the winter white Yeti and dancing girls taking stage. Huge blow-up “Winter White” beach balls bounced over the crowd. There were lots of smiles, sunglasses, and lots and lots of glow paint.
The second opener was the Swedish DJ Alesso. I loved his remix of Coldplay’s “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall,” but Adesso had a pretty lengthy performance and as the minutes were ticking on,we were all chanting for “David.” After all, that’s who we really paid to see, right? The lights dimmed as Guetta’s introductory music cued his entrance. I was itching to see him from beneath the stage towards the front of the crowd. After all, he’s the #1 ranked DJ in the world who has collaborated with the likes of Taio Cruz, Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj, and Flo Rida (just to name a few).
When Guetta finally took stage, the crowd positively exploded. For someone in his forties, he really pulled out all the stops, playing both throwbacks and new hits such as “Love is Gone” and “Where Them Girls At?” as well as an unreleased track with Nicky Romero. He mixed “Sunshine” featuring Avicii as his enormous LED screen flashed “UNH ROCKS!” He was all smiles in his electrified throne of a DJ booth towering over the crowd and I swear, it was like he was rocking out with us.
Nothing this big has hit Durham since Avicii last fall. I’m feeling a little sentimental lately as a senior, but looking back on the past four years at this university, hands-down, this will be the concert I remember the most.
The tour had its first stop in Albany, and will continue on to Syracuse, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, ending in Portland, Maine. Their next stop is in Trenton, New Jersey. To tour dates and ticket information, check out their Facebook page. Trust me when I say this, collegiettes: this is a concert you won’t want to miss!