Lawnparties: Egalitarian?

Ah, the night after Lawnparties. The campus is quiet, what with most of the student body still passed out from that 6 p.m. "nap." The seersucker suit has been carefully hung back up in the closet, and the campus should stop smelling like stale beer around midday tomorrow. (Just kidding, freshmen. It always smells like this.)The first Lawnparties of the post-Big Band era (refresher here) seemed to go well. The weather, in stark contrast to last year's scorching fall and muddy spring, could not have been more beautiful - low-70s, sunny, warm in the sun and cool in the shade. The myriad cover bands seemed to satisfy the tipsy student throng's desire for live music. I didn't hear a single complaint all day about the lack of a headlining act.This shouldn't be surprising, at least, I don't think. Lawnparties was never really about the band. It's a wonderfully weird celebration of Princeton, honoring both what it is and what it could be.Yes, Lawnparties is an anthem to the Princeton stereotype - loud music, louder pants, drinking before 10 a.m., and preppy bacchanalia. But it's not just day drinking that makes Lawnparties a special day.For all its elitist trappings, Lawnparties is Princeton's egalitarian party. For one day, it doesn't matter who you know, or what club you're in. For one day, the bouncers don't care if you're on the list, or have two salmon passes. If you go to Princeton, for one day the eating club lawns are your lawns. Seniors and freshmen stand shoulder to shoulder in the sun, drinking warm champagne and rocking out to Journey.Tomorrow we'll be back to our normal social stratification, and waiting until 5 p.m. But it's a nice reminder at the start of the year of what Princeton could be.(photo credit: AW)