“We had a lot of people out here dancing. It went really really well,” said Alvaro M. Bedoya ’03, a member of Un Poquito Mas.

“Having the student bands just made it incredible. It feels more like community. I feel like I’m at a real, real school,” said Lesley W. Mitchell ’02.

The student bands were so popular that some students wondered whether they would upstage The Verve Pipe—the headliner band the council was able to procure in a $15,000 bid because of added funds from Summers.

The Verve Pipe—which began playing at 3 p.m.—received rave reviews from a crowd of students who danced, cheered, and crowd-surfed during the band’s set.

“I thought they did an unbelievable job. They were a lot of fun,” said Michael J. Tucker ’03.

Before the band’s performance, Lee and Summers both addressed the crowd, thanking each other and members of the Harvard community for their support.

“It’s been an incredible, incredible day. Thank you to all the students, faculty, and staff that came out. This is a departure from past years and I think it’s evident in the crowd,” Lee said.

She then introduced Summers, calling him “the one man who is responsible for all of this.”

After thanking members of his staff and of the council, Summers demonstrated his satisfaction with the turnout.

“They say this is the largest group ever to gather for Springfest and I’m glad it’s true,” he said.

Although most students said they didn’t hear Summers’ remarks, some who did said they thought his and Lee’s address seemed out of place.

“I thought they thanked a lot of the same people. Having all the talking right in a row sort of takes away from it,” Tucker said.

Although several signs hung near the bandstand criticized Summers’ administration—on issues ranging from Harvard’s use of sweatshops to rumors of his initial reluctance to feature a hip-hop act at Springfest—on the whole, Summers’ presence and his office’s financial contribution were well received.

“I thought it was good that he was here,” said Ashley M. Eden ’03.

Other students said that Summers’ appearance was the first step in reconnecting with the student body after the highly publicized conflict with Fletcher University Professor Cornel West ’74.