By Pat Costello
Nick Monaco shared his experience about getting to be the student DJ at last year’s Spring Weekend. (Courtesy of Nick Monaco)
Believe it or not, Spring Weekend is upon us. The Campus Activities Board (CAB) has lined up a plethora of guest speakers and musical acts, but one of the most interesting aspects of the weekend is the student DJ, who is chosen by the students to perform before the headliner. Last year Nick Monaco, GSB ’17, got the opportunity to show Rose Hill his skills. “I honestly did not expect to win. I was convinced by a few friends to throw my name in the hat and give it a shot, but I never went as far as to market myself on social media and stuff,” he said. “When I found out I won I was pretty pleasantly surprised.”
Last year was not the first time he had thrown his hat in the ring. As a high school freshman, he decided to give DJing a try. “My cousin was actually a pretty popular DJ in Miami at the time. He was able to move me into places and sets at a pretty easy rate and I was doing all kind of events,” he said. “I loved that I could make people dance, have a good time and feel good. It honestly was more of an experience than a job.”
Normally, when someone begins as an entertainer, he or she hits a few bumps in the road, but Nick was able to start small and build his confidence before moving to larger crowds. “The first time I DJ’d for a pretty large crowd was at a small club house event for teenagers, so I wasn’t too nervous. It went great and really helped me practice my stage presence before bigger events”
It was that stage presence that endeared him to the Rose Hill community last year. Monaco delivered an incredible set before the headliner Solidisco. “I was supposed to pump the crowd up just enough so the main act takes it away, but they treated me as if I was the only act of the night. You always want to make sure that the crowd loves what you serve them.” The crowd ate every bite of what he was serving, and began chanting his name on multiple occasions. “Their reaction was amazing and I’m so glad they had a good time.”
The biggest thrill of the night came after he had left the stage. Solidisco had just begun their set when they began having technical difficulties. The sound cut out a few times, leaving the students confused and annoyed. That’s when, to his surprise, they began to chant Monaco’s name again. “Oh man. That was awesome and humbling at the same time,” he said. “It was a truly great feeling to know that everyone out there enjoyed how hard I worked, and to hear them chanting for me instead of the professional on stage was an incredible feeling and something I’ll never forget.”
This year, the new DJ chosen is a sophomore who goes by the pseudonym DJ MazzyDazz. Nick had some advice after his experience last year: “Honestly, do your thing and don’t let yourself get nervous. Play what the people want to hear and play it better than they expect,” he said. “Enjoy the night and the crowd will enjoy it with you.”
Next year Monaco will be a senior, but does he want to throw his hat into the ring once more? “Absolutely,” he said. “And it’ll be even better than before.”
