Trick, or treat? Washington and Lee students weren’t fooled the night of Oct. 30, when they put their hands in the air for Aer.

For its first concert of the year, the General Activities Board hosted Aer at the Ruins to kick off Halloween weekend. The concert was opened by student DJ Crosby Ellinger, ‘17.

“G.A.B. chose to bring Aer because they just released a new album and we were all really excited about it and the opportunity to bring them to W&L,” G.A.B. member Asha Campbell, ‘17, said. “Especially since we were the last stop on their tour.”

Composed of two members, David von Mering and Carter Schultz, Aer hails from Boston. The rising indie band incorporates many genres into its music, including hip-hop, rap, reggae, and pop. The group’s second album, Aer (2014), hit #26 on the U.S. Billboard 200.

Some of the indie band’s hits include, “Floats My Boat” and “She Loves Me.” The pop-rap duo performed at W&L as part of its Fresh Aer Movement Tour, which included stops in more than 30 cities across the country. Lexington, Va. was Aer’s final stop.

Because of the performance coinciding with Halloween weekend, G.A.B. wanted to make this concert different from others by having students attend Aer’s performance in costume. The event tent and the Ruins were also covered in decorations to get everyone in the spirit of Halloween.

“We really tried to play up the fact that the concert was on the day before Halloween, so we decorated the tent accordingly,” Campbell said. “We wanted to make it feel spooky and fun.”

Although many students responded positively when Aer asked them if they had no idea who they were, there were also many fans in the audience.

“I’ve seen Aer twice in concert so I’m really excited to see them another time, especially playing songs from their new album,” Kelsey Jervis, ‘18, said.

  G.A.B. sold tickets and t-shirts all week in Commons prior to the event. The t-shirts featured von Mering and Schultz atop Washington Hall, replacing Washington and Lee.

G.A.B. expected high attendance, so members said they were pleased that ticket sales reached 500 and that the tent was packed on the night of the concert. The band performed with high energy, which was reciprocated by the audience.

“I expected chill vibes and was surprised by the intense energetic performance,” Patrick Murphy, ‘18, said.

Aer’s set-list included a mix of its older and newer songs. The pair performed for the Lexington crowd for just over an hour. With the group’s most popular song, “Floats My Boat,” the crowd went wild.

“I thought the concert was awesome,” Camille LeJeune, ‘17, said. “I love Aer so I was psyched that they were coming to perform at W&L.”