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Mae concert worth more than $10 ticket by Marilyn King
When I got to Erickson Kiva on Friday night, there was already a line of people halfway around the building. It was a strange sight; some college kids, some younger kids that don't go here, all waiting in line to hear a concert at the same hall I had my Freshman orientation seminars at back in August. I felt like I should be at Clutch Cargos music venue in Detroit, not MSU. But there we were. The tour bus for Mae, the band we were seeing, was right next to us, and if I jumped high enough I could see that they were playing Playstation in the back. The smell of grilling hot dogs and chicken was wafting in the air (later on, the lead singer of Mae explained that they had been having a cook-out all day). Considering the concert was to start in ten minutes, the smell of anticipation among the crowd was even stronger. The inside of the Erickson Kiva was not what I expected. For those of you who didn't know what it is, like I didn't, it's that circular bubble attached to Erickson, on the corner of Farm Lane and Auditorium. It fits about 300 people, and is a dome with a stage and a floor that has slightly elevated layers to stand on.It was about 3/4 full for the whole show. It was nice to be at a venue like this, because unlike many other concerts, there was no cigerette smoke choking me the entire time, and no people pushing eachother around with means to start a mosh pit. The first band to perform, New Atlantic, was surprisingly good for being an opening band. The lead singer was friendly and enthusiastic, and the crowd seemed to like them. They sounded a little on the typical side (cliche lyrics and melody), but overall, they were enjoyable. There was a little trouble with the microphones and sound balance, though,and the sound techs had to fix this in between New Atlantic and the Hush Sound, which were the next band. The Hush Sound plays an amazing live show. I had already seen them earlier this year in Grand Rapids, when they played with Copeland and Daphne Loves Derby. The Hush Sound has the same exact sound live as they do on their cd, which is how you know a band is good (because they don't have to be all edited to sound good on cd). What's unique about the Hush Sound is that they basically have two lead singers: Bob, the male voice lead, and Greta, the female voice lead who also plays the keyboard (and does a damn good job, I might add). Greta's voice is especially lovely; her singing is so natural and smooth, it sounds like she doesn't even need to try. Together, the two produce a wonderful, upbeat sound, with guitar, keyboard, and also a bass player and drummer that make up the rest of the band. The bass player, Chris, is also very good. He sings some of the backup vocals as well. The main act, Mae, were awesome as well. They played some of their old-old stuff, some of the songs from their record that came out last year, and also a couple from a new record they recorded that is coming out this summer. The lead singer, Dave, was not at all what I would have expected. His voice is very high and light (and a little little like Alvin and the Chipmunks, if you want the truth), and so from this I would have expected some lofty, tight pants wearing pretty-boy with dirty blond hair and a cloudy outlook on life. Instead, he is very average looking (could definitely be walking around on our campus and we wouldn't think twice..well, the girls might notice that he's cute), well-put together guy, with a fun personality and happy-go-lucky nature. Someone else in Mae who was especially noticeable was Rob, who was on keyboards. He was pretty skilled. The lead singer's voice was a little different than on the album (a little more whiny) but still very, very good. The band left and then came back for an encore, where the energy in the Kiva was very enjoyable. All in all, the Mae/Hush Sound concert was very enjoyable, and I'd definitely see them again if they came back next year. Links |
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