Punk group rises to occasion at UB
The college show atmosphere is unmistakable.
A heavy vinyl tarp is placed over the basketball floor, an expensive light and sound setup is trucked in and the sports arena is transformed into a full-fledged music venue. A moderately well-known act flies into town and students can crowd-surf, mosh in the pit and toss water bottles high in the air. To some, the popularity of the act landed by your school directly correlates to how cool your school is.
This reviewer is just barely removed from those years when Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional and Mighty Mighty Bosstones, among others, headlined his Washington, D. C., college.
The roughly 4,000 students and general public who attended Spring Fest Saturday night in UB’s Alumni Arena will — in a few post-grad years, after dealing with the daily grind — be nostalgic for that night when Rise Against rocked their school. It will be memorable less for the music and more for who they shared it with.
Concert Review
University at Buffalo Spring Fest
Featuring Framing Hanley, Cartel, Brand New and Rise Against on Saturday night in the University at Buffalo Alumni Arena, Amherst.
Spring Fest 2009 happens to nearly coincide with the last day of classes. It’s a good time to unwind before finals start and takes months and months of planning by students with good managerial skills but little to no experience dealing with the tangled world of band contracts and detailed riders. A recent article in Visions—UB’s biweekly student magazine — chronicled the trials and tribulations of trying to book a college show. In this case, the student group was rejected by 108 bands. Competition with other schools and myriad other reasons prevented UB’s Student Association from landing an act.
No matter. Socially conscious punk band Rise Against was available and up to the task. In recent years the band has risen from obscurity to major-label status. Its melodic hard-core sound has been adapted to fit bigger venues such as UB’s arena. Its songs are more anthemic but still adhere to its roots with its antiwar and animal rights messages.
Supporting act Brand New was noteworthy for being unrehearsed and out of tune. But Brand New was unquestionably the bigger draw, as the crowd noticeably thinned out after its supporting set.
Also worth noting was the Music Is Art side stage, which kept the masses entertained during changes on the main stage. A high school ska band kept giving the crowd one more song while Rise Against prepped on the main stage.
Each UB undergrad received a Spring Fest ticket because the cost is included in their undergrad student activity fee, which is around $100.
Booking a college show is a rite of passage for leaders of student-run organizations. The late Tim Russert famously booked an unknown Bruce Springsteen when Russert was a student at John Carroll University. Organizers sweat it for months then breathe a heavy sigh of relief when it’s over. Students leave with memories they’ll look fondly on years later as a source of school pride and bonhomie among classmates.
Log into MyBuffalo to post a comment
MyBuffalo is the new social network from Buffalo.com. Your MyBuffalo account lets you comment on and rate stories at buffalonews.com. You can also head over to mybuffalo.com to share your blog posts, stories, photos, and videos with the community. Join now or learn more.
Reader comments