The University of Blog

Wakarusa last year with my friend Kristin
For the next four days, I will be at the Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival in Lawrence, Kans. There are a lot of smaller bands and then the Flaming Lips, Cake, Ben Folds and the Old 97s. I went last year and it was a lot of fun, but I commuted from my house 15 minutes away. This year will be the first year that I am camping. I haven’t camped since a family trip more than three years ago. We used to take camping family vacations all the time. Needless to say, I miss it. The music will be really good this year. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Friday night The Arcade Fire performed at Starlight Theater in Kansas City. We first ate at the Plaza and then enjoyed the music in the open-air theater. The music was absolutely awe-inspiring. They performed many of their songs off Neon Bible as well as the classics from Funeral. It was a complete show incorporating elements such as lighting and videos to make it a whole experience for the viewer.

LCD Soundsystem opened and got everyone very excited and pumped up for the show. Their music completely overwhelmed me. The bass was so intense that I actually felt it. Dancing and enjoying the music was great to get ready for Arcade Fire.

When Arcade Fire came on, the crowd went crazy. Even though we were far back, I was still able to get into the music through the stage show. They had cameras hooked up near each of the artists and big screens behind them to show various images. Arcade Fire actually put on a show rather than just a concert. It made the two-hour drive there and back worth it to see The Arcade Fire live. Easily one of the best concerts that I’ve seen.

The Roots ’N’ Blues ’N’ BBQ festival attracted around 60,000 people to downtown Columbia. Boone County National Bank sponsored the event for their 150th anniversary. There are currently no plans to host another event, but I believe that it was great success. Around 50 vendors shared their crafts as the smoky smell of BBQ filled the air.

I was able to interview Chris Thomas King for The Maneater. He played Tommy Johnson in “Oh Brother Where Art Thou” as well as a bandleader in “Ray.” King also won a Grammy for Best Album for his work on “Oh Brother Where Art Thou.” Read the article here.

The Missouri Student Association (MSA) brought in Rilo Kiley to perform at Jessie Hall last Wednesday. I only knew a few songs by them, but I was able to get into it. It was not as satisfying as bringing in Ben Folds last year, especially when there was not a huge crowd there, but I was still able to dance and appreciate the music. In a highly glittered outfit, Jenny Lewis dazzled with her vocal and keyboarding talents.

I heard that the band was comprised of all child stars. This is interesting because sure enough, the guitar player Blake Sennett was in Boy Meets World and Lewis was in Troop Beverly Hills. The musicians are not only in Rilo Kiley. Sennetts’ other project includes The Elected, which has some awesome songs. Lewis has Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins. It is interesting how many connections there are among bands. Everyone who is anyone has multiple projects and bands.

Jenny Lewis sings with Rilo Kiley at Jessie Hall on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2007.

A performance by Wilco concluded Columbia’s outdoor concert series Summerfest last night. More than 2,000 people gathered Ninth Street outside the Blue Note to listen to some music and to enjoy the atmosphere. Dr. Dog from West Philadelphia opened with their three-part harmonies off of their new album We All Belong.

Wilco gave a great show and really appealed to the audience. They performed at Summerfest two years ago and seemed to be a crowd favorite. When “You Are My Face” was played, the crowd immediately gathered closer toward the stage. Creator Jeff Tweedy told us that that we were the best audience on the tour. After leaving the stage once, the crowd cheered them on for three encores, and Wilco did not disappoint. Since the band was formed in 1994, it is true that Wilco have been around for awhile. However, they still know how to please a crowd and provide an entertaining, enjoyable show for all ages.

I like free stuff. I especially like free music and free food. When they are culminate in a wonderful event, I get very excited. MSA (Missouri Student Association) put on the Little Big Free featuring the Foundry Field Recordings. We were serenaded by some mellow tunes while videology played in the background. Last year the Big Free featured Three 6 Mafia. There were no big names this year, but it was still worth it.

While listening to the tunes, we were able to eat a nice BBQ dinner. After our meal, I decked out a snow cone with both blue raspberry flavor AND cherry. It was a delightful treat.

I was also able to tie-die a shirt, which was a completely new thing to do for me. My inspiration was the sunshine. I chose orange, yellow, pink and red in a sunburst pattern. There also were painted tattoos and balloon animals. Unfortunately, the line was quite long for the balloon animals, however the balloon man was very talented. He made palm trees, parrots that stood on a shoulder and special hats. I missed out, but I got a lot of free stuff.

For $11 I went to see Of Montreal at the Blue Note. I liked their song “Requiem for OMM” made famous on the OC (series finale is tonight), but they have changed quite a bit since then. Elekibass from Tokyo, Japan opened for them. They were so full of energy it felt awkward not smiling and dancing along. They went through the audience to get to the stage wearing masks and playing their instruments. Got me very much in the mood for Of Montreal.

When Of Montreal came on, they were dressed in equally obscure costumes. (The guitarist was in angel wings and the lead singer wore hot pants.) The concert drew all types: I tried to ignore the guys in front of me with glitter under their eyes and big flower arrangements in their hair.

Of Montreal had a lot of energy and theatrics on the stage, but I felt that it took away from their performance. From their beginnings as an indie band, they have moved toward an alternative dance band, which is fun to dance to but hurt my ears after awhile. I’m glad that I could go and dance along, but given the opportunity, I would have stayed home and listened to the CD.

(above: Pic of The Shins)

What a full weekend! Concerts galore. I think that I spend almost all of my savings on concerts. Saturday night Ben Kweller came to Mojos, which is a smaller venue about ten minutes from campus. Amsterband from the Ozarks opened for them, and Ben Kweller (BK) put on a great show. Lots of sha-shas– check it out if you are not familiar with him. I highly recommend the upbeat, happy vocals and guitar skills. I got a pic with him. Too cool.

Last night I attended The Shins concert at the St. Louis The Pageant. Made famous by the Indie movie Garden State, The Shins did not disappoint. The drive is about two hours to the Pageant, and while waiting around, there are a lot of nice shops in the Loop (surrounding area). So worth it. Natalie Portman said in Garden State that “This band will change your life.” They had so much energy playing songs from their new album as well as the greats such as “Caring is Creepy” and “Kissing the Lipless.”

Interested in being a “cool cat”and seeing some sweet concerts? (the fact that I used the term ‘cool cat’ might take away from my cool factor, but still There is a box office in Brady Commons where they sell Ticketmaster. This is easier than online because you get your ticket right there, and gift certificates from the Blue Note can be purchased. Also, Mojos or Blue Note tickets can be purchased at the Blue Note. There is no reason not to go to several concerts since Columbia is a great venue. If it’s not here, it’s in St. Louis or Lawrence. The tickets range from about $15-25. Highly worth it for some great pictures, music and memories.

I wrote on this before, but I went there to listen to Ann Driscoll on Friday night at the Artisan. She lives at Lathrop and I know her through my roommate, and she is a phenomenal artist who writes her own music. I was very impressed with the show, and there were so many people there to provide support. The Artisan provides a great atmosphere to chillax and listen to great tunes. Yes a good study spot, but check out the calendar of events. I know there are other local treasures there too.