The annual Clam Jam event boasted some star-studded talent on April 27 as students gathered at Penfield Beach Pavilion for food, drinks and live music.
“It was incredibly successful, we sold out within 3 days of all tickets going on sale,” wrote Fairfield University Student Association Vice President Matthew Marshall ‘19, who helped organize the event.
Clam Jam is usually solely sponsored by the The Beach Resident Advocacy Group, but this year decided to include the opinions of representatives from the Fairfield Beach Residents Organization and the Fairfield University Student Association. The representatives helped make decisions regarding ticket pricing, food and drinks as well as artist selection.
Among the performers at the event were Willy G, Tano | Mark and Two Friends. Two Friends, a Los Angeles based DJing duo was the headliner for the event. The duo is known for songs such as “Out of Love,” “Emily” and “Big Booty Remix,” which all have millions of plays on Spotify. The selection of Two Friends is reminiscent of when The Chainsmokers played Clam Jam in 2015 before their rise to stardom.
There were 1774 tickets sold total, and 1676 were scanned at the event. Clam Jam was not without incident this year either, as DPS reported that there was one student transported, two citations for students using open containers, and four students removed or ejected.
The weather was less than ideal for a day at the beach, with clouds, rain and cold temperature putting a slight damper on the event. This did not stop any of the artists from performing, however.
“Willy G started off the day DJ-ing for the first few hours, Tano | Mark came on for a 30 minute set and then Two Friends played for an hour,” wrote Marshall. Some students were upset about the length of the line.
“I thought it was a lot of fun and worth it but the wait in line was very long and frustrating,” said Amy Polewaczyk ‘19. “Something should be done in the following years to ensure that it does not occur again.”
“People were pushing in line and that was rude,” added Rebecca King ‘19.
King also noted that the price for the event, $65 for seniors, $70 for juniors, and $80 for senior guest tickets, was too high. “[The event was] overpriced, not worth it,” she wrote.
Since last year’s event, the price of seniors’ tickets increased by $25, juniors’ by $10 and guests’ tickets by $20. In 2017, Clam Jam was sponsored by Red Bull, who provided free drinks as well as the tents and stage for the event. Red Bull did not return to sponsor the event in 2018, and ticket prices have steadily increased.
Marshall acknowledged the pushback from students about the ticket prices, but ultimately believes the prices were justified. “Initially there was a slight pushback over the price, however that quickly dissipated and I think everyone who bought a ticket saw the value in having 3 artists, unlimited food, and beer/cider for those 21+ years old,” wrote Marshall.
Ultimately, it seems Clam Jam will continue to be a great event for outgoing seniors to celebrate their time at Fairfield University.
“Clam Jam is really supposed to be a final send off as classes start to end and based off this past Saturday, I think everyone truly had a great time and signified the start of summer!,” wrote Marshall. “I have a hard time trying to find improvements or changes for the future.”
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