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RHA SPRING SCHEDULE: Underwhelming by Nick Meador The MSU Residence Hall Association has finally released their spring 2007 schedule of special events. Although there are some eye-catching names, the resources at hand on MSU’s campus are not being fully utilized. In fact, Calvin College, a small religious school in Grand Rapids, has scheduled a single weekend, the Festival of Faith & Music , that creates more butterflies in my stomach. MSU could be having awesome concerts a lot more often.
The venues exist. The audience exists. The Impact 89 FM demonstrates
what kind of respectable bands could be invited to play. And
yet, why is OK Go one of the seven scheduled events this semester? Because
they made a music video where they hop around on treadmills that can
run on MTV, that’s why. The main highlight will be Ben Folds, who plays
the MSU Auditorium on April 3. Folds has been crafting piano-driven
pop music since the mid ‘90s, first in the piano/bass/drum trio Ben Folds Five and
then as a solo artist. He is more than just simply a modern day Billy
Joel, but some of his more recent music doesn’t have the same
spark as when he was the leader of BFF. Last summer, Folds played to
an enormous crowd at the Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee. Another show
that is worth checking out is Lupe Fiasco—playing the beautiful
Fairchild Theatre on March 18—who seems to be a beacon of unpretentious
hip-hop coming out of Chicago (as compared to the cockiest of the cocky:
Kanye West). He spends his recording time rhyming about skateboarding
and the unsatisfactory, unsafe state of the windy city’s west
side. The RHA
special events web site should be updated soon with the list
of concerts, but don’t cross your fingers. CALENDAR: 3/18 Lupe Fiasco @ Fairchild Theatre (WC) 3/24 The Blood Brothers, Celebration, Moonrats @ Erickson Kiva (CDW, FBC) 3/30 Mae, The Hush Sound, New Atlantic @ Erickson Kiva (CDW, FBC) 4/3 Ben Folds @ MSU Auditorium (WC) 4/15 Steven Lynch (comedian) @ Pasant Theatre (WC) 4/16 Matt Wertz, Stephen Kellog & the Sixers @ MSU Union Ballroom (CDW, FBC) 4/29 Matt Nathanson @ MSU Union Ballroom (CDW, FBC) 4/30 OK Go @ Fairchild Theatre (WC) KEY: WC = Wharton Center Box Office (whartoncenter.com, 1-800-Wharton) CDW, FBC = CD Warehouse (228 Abbott Rd, 517-351-2636) and Flat,
Black & Circular (541 E Grand River Ave, 517-351-0838) LINKS: Ben Folds http://www.myspace.com/benfolds Lupe Fiasco http://www.myspace.com/lupefiasco VIDEOS:
Ben Folds playing “All You Can Eat” live.
“I Gotcha” video by Lupe Fiasco
ft. Pharrell
The dreaded treadmill video for “Here It Goes Again” by OK Go. |
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