An ocean of fans awaited the eclectic and electric indie-rock band, Hippo Campus. From the first glitchy synth tone to the final guitar strum, every eye in the room was locked on lead singer Jake Luppen and Company, and not a single pair of feet stood solitary.

The pure joy in the room was palpable instantly. This kind of joy was syrupy sweet and painted the walls pink and purple and perfumey like cotton candy and summer nights.

The band opened with the melodic and sultry “Bambi,” which was barely audible through the shrieks and shouts and emotions of radiant love. Next, fan-favorite “The Way It Goes” lit up the crowd like the night sky on the Fourth of July and New Years combined. Fans sang and danced to every word and basked in the warm heat enveloping the crowded room, as guitars loudly jangled.

Through the entire set, through “Doubt,” through “Simple Season,” through “Suicide Saturday,” through “Buttercup,” the airy sugary vibe in the venue hung thick in the air, suspended by the bright red, blue, pink, and violet hues of light beams.

This warmth kept fans down sweaty and damp down to their t-shirts even after they wandered out into the sub-zero degree temperatures outside. For that night, for those hours, the world outside seemed like a beach, and the music sounded unlimited.