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Samar Hashem used to frequent DJ’s on the Hill with her friends freshman and sophomore year. The current senior at Syracuse University recently recalled the shock that she and her classmates felt in 2020 when they learned it would close for good.

“It was an iconic Syracuse experience to go to DJ’s. It was the place to hang out and dance. Everyone was talking about (its closing) for weeks after it closed,” Hashem said.

For some SU students, the opening of a new bar on Marshall Street brings hope of a return to normalcy for the school’s party scene. Lucy Blu Island Bar and Club will be opening in the former location of DJ’s on The Hill. The former bar permanently closed in Sept. 2020 following 53 charges from the NYSLA.

Lucy Blu will be operating under the owners of Orange Crate Brewing Company, and on Oct. 4, Orange Crate’s Instagram account shared a post hinting that the new bar’s opening date is nearing. “Paradise is closer than you think…go follow @lucyblusyr,” the post teased.

Former DJ’s regulars had mixed reactions to the bar’s closing, but most are excited about the prospect of a new bar on campus. Hashem remains optimistic about Lucy Blu’s opening, even if it’s bittersweet. She said if the bar opens before she graduates she’ll check it out, but she’s unsure if it will live up to DJ’s reputation.

For senior Siena Pennington, who is also an Orange Crate regular, the announcement is promising.

“DJ’s was the place to let loose, and I just hope Lucy Blu brings a new sense of energy to campus,” she said.

Pennington said the addition of Lucy Blu will complement Orange Crate’s more casual environment and “bring a new sense of energy to campus.” And she hopes it will be a more “dance-friendly” bar that offers SU students more night life options.

Pennington had a few suggestions for the new place in terms of managing the crowds and lines that DJ’s dealt with.

“I hope the (organization) is a little different. The way that DJ’s was set up made the place seem very small,” Pennington said. “I hope their capacity is less than DJ’s too, so that it’s not as crowded.”

An opening day has not yet been announced for Lucy Blu, but an Instagram account has been created for the new bar, and construction seems to be going at the location.
Wendy Wang | Asst. Photo Editor

SU alumnus Ben Tinelli, who DJed at DJ’s in 2019 when he attended SU, is happy the bar space is under new ownership, he said. DJ’s numerous NYSLA charges and ultimate shutdown did not surprise him — if anything, he said he was happy when he received word of it.

“They didn’t run it really well when it comes to ethics,” Tinelli said. “They would always run a really, really sloppy show there, which is part of the reason that I didn’t continue to work for them.”

Still, the alumnus acknowledged the “fun” energy that DJ’s brought to the Marshall scene, remembering Thursday nights when he saw lines of students form around the block waiting to get into DJ’s. Once inside, he compared the environment to a frat party: students dancing, drinking and kissing on the dance floor.

Paradise is closer than you think…go follow @lucyblusyr

A photo posted by orangecratebc

Tinelli said he does plan on DJing at Lucy Blu once it opens, and that he is excited to have a new bar on Marshall Street, especially after the pandemic and negative charges associated with DJ’s.

“I hope we have an awesome, safe, inclusive place with a lot of personality,” Tinelli said. “SU, I am proud to say, has done an awesome job getting our students vaccinated, and from what I understand that is a really important step in starting to be able to enjoy some of the things that we used to.”

DISCLAIMER: Siena Pennington is a contributing photographer for The Daily Orange. She does not influence the editorial content of the Culture section in her capacity as a contributing photographer.

Published on October 18, 2021 at 11:57 pm