On Wednesday, Oct. 29, my friends and I pushed our way into the Aula. When we emerged through the enthusiastic crowd, we saw that the room was possessed by Halloween spirit: cobwebs covered the windows while lights flashed and bass boomed. As a balloon was sent flying over my head, my eyes fell on an intimate little stage where the Halloween Cover Show was about to take place.
Over the course of the night, several musical genres were represented. In typical Vassar fashion, classic indie folk and indie rock artists took to the stage, including the lookalikes of Phoebe Bridgers, The Cranberries and Florence + The Machine. The audience screamed the lyrics of pop-punk favorites like Paramore’s “Misery Business” alongside those of poppier artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Twenty One Pilots. By the time the stage was illuminated by a sea of flashlights waving to the music of The Strokes, I could tell there was an atmosphere of camaraderie between the audience and the musicians onstage.
Drummer Bailey Mahoney ’26 and her bandmates, adorned in black clothes and heavy eyeliner, chose to cover iconic pop-punk band Green Day. In my opinion, their mini-set was a perfect blend of spooky and classic hits from Green Day’s discography. The song “Brain Stew” included some creepy lyrics, which were very on-theme for the season. One stanza reads, “My eyes feel like they’re gonna bleed / Dried up, and bulging out my skull.” A friend of mine is a massive Green Day fan who could sing along with every word, but even the less initiated among us were screaming the words to “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by the end of the set.
For Mahoney, performing in the Cover Show has been a four-year-long dream come true. “I remember being in the front dancing with my friends to the music, and being so impressed with all of the covers,” Mahoney recalled when describing her first time attending the show. “I went to the Cover Show every year after that and had a great time being in the audience, but I’m so happy that I got to be a part of it my last year at Vassar.”
I could feel the band’s excitement from the audience, so it made sense to hear that Mahoney felt very supported throughout her whole Cover Show experience. She told me, “It felt so amazing to be on stage in front of the crowd…and sharing the stage with so many other wonderful student bands made me feel so much a part of the community.”
Each year, the Cover Show is organized and run by the Vassar Student Music Union (StuMU), and, as I would discover, this feeling of community was no accident—the people at StuMU put a lot of thought and care into creating a safe, encouraging environment for performers each year. Wanting to learn more about how such an environment is cultivated each year, I talked to StuMU president Sierra Iames ’27. When I asked her about the history of the Cover Show, she told me that before it was an independent organization, StuMU was an offshoot of Vassar College Entertainment. In 2016, however, StuMU branched off and gained independent organization status, aiming to act as a support system for Vassar’s musician population. Ever since, the Halloween Cover Show has been a staple event for the organization. “The Cover Show, while an annual event, changes every year,” Iames explained. “StuMU works with all student artists to make their vision and engagement in the music scene and culture at Vassar a reality, so part of the success of this year’s cover show was incorporating the ideas of our GB [general body] members, other student musicians, and EB [executive board] into our plans.”
In talking to Iames, I came to realize that the loving and supportive atmosphere in the room that night was very intentional. “[The show] encapsulates the ‘union’ aspect of StuMU– student musicians spending the night bonding together over their favorite musicians,” she explained. It became clear to me that StuMU strategically uses the Cover Show to get people involved in the club and to gauge what kind of music Vassar students are passionate about from year to year. The organization is mindful of the fact that it can be intimidating to put yourself up onstage, so they intentionally cultivate an atmosphere for students to try something new and gain some self-confidence. “Performing can be nerve-wracking or feel like a lot of pressure,” Iames explained, “But the Cover Show gives you an opportunity to pretend to be the most confident and fun and inspiring musician you can think of.”
At the end of the night, my friends and I emerged from the Aula with ringing ears, hoarse voices and full hearts. We had watched friends shine onstage, listened to the music of some of our favorite bands and sung along with a passionate crowd. Knowing all of the heart that goes into the Halloween Cover Show, I am so excited to see what next year has in store. Who knows? Maybe I will even drag some friends onstage with me!