Madison Lights & Megan Burt

Guitarist and Lead Singer of Madison Lights

After a short leave of absence, I finally made it to another concert on the quad. It was a great concert. The opening act, Madison Lights, was really high energy and fun. It was the best opening band yet. Talented vocalist, great guitar work and they were so engaging and playful. I was really impressed because, unlike some of the earlier bands, they were in tune THE ENTIRE TIME and their vocalist had agility and accuracy... okay... taking off the music nerd hat.

Dastardly Bassinet

Not to mention that the weather was well-behaved... not a cloud in sight! People were there with their babies, friends, family and dogs. The best thing about gatherings like that is people watching. There were all sorts of interesting things to watch. There was an adorable 3 or 4 year old girl pretending to conduct the band. There was a bassinet suited for a Tim Burton-esque baby. There were dogs of all sort! But the most amazing was the Great Dane that was the size of a baby horse.

Hula-Hoop Contest Winner

It was very fortunate circumstance that brought us our headliner, Megan Burt. The artist that was originally scheduled, Rachel Loy, cancelled on Wednesday. Luckily, Amanda on SAB got in touch with Megan and she hit the road at 4 a.m. in order to make it on time for our Thursday concert. She was lovely and very unpretentious. She proclaimed her love for having contests and giving away free CDs. And encouraged audience members to get up and have a hula-hoop off. She gave away two free CDs and drew everyone's attention to the fact that she had a table to sell goods... very savvy. She has an acoustic indie sound. It inspired dancing among the younger and it was so pleasant to listen to. It was great music to accompany sitting in the sunshine.

Megan Burt

The merchandise table has done so well this summer. I made a call to the SAB office and they told me people have donated 2076 pounds of food to the food bank. The last concert set the record for donations with a whopping 594 pounds donated. Cory also told me that it's been a record setting summer. Attendance is at the highest it's been in a few years! At this last concert there were 585 people in attendance. Which is lovely... but the Clumsy Lovers concert has set this summer's record at 975 attendees. A few more amazing statistics... 31% of people at the concert are women between 18 and 24 years old and 69% of people in attendance are female. Are you listening men? Think that it's hard to meet girls?!?!?   Well, you've got one concert left to get numbers and meet new girls, no pressure, just sayin'.

This Thursday is something completely different. 1) No opening act. 2) BLUES. 3) PURELY LOCAL! Come out and support Soulful Blues! Expect a Billie Holiday and Etta James influenced sound.
                      XO, Nanette

My First Concert On The Quad

Okay... well, the cool kids never show up right when the gig starts right? WRONG. I showed up 30 minutes late and they were already putting out more seats. Apparently this concert thing is a big deal. Due to poor weather it was held in the Student Union Building (SUB)... Which is tough because there's infinitely more seating on the quad. There were short food lines for free BBQ and soda (with "summer" student ID).  And summer program t-shirts and lunch boxes and merchandise available for trade - they accept canned goods as monetary compensation.

There were all folks of all ages running around. Little kids spinning in circles to the music and elderly people clapping along. A smattering of college students here and there. I ran into a few friends like Emma Doupe, Cory Winter and Natalie Keezer, along with a couple of ex-boyfriends that shall not be named... and few kids who I went to high school with. Seems to be a great mixing place.

Now the thing about concerts and being schooled in the way of classical music...  I feel so out of place at things like this. Because people are standing and dancing... talking... cellphones going off... running... eating. This is nothing like what i'm used to. I had Emma remind me on two different occasions "Relax Nanette, this is not a symphony."

That being said... I have an appreciation for music of all sorts. The opening band, The Wild Coyotes, was something that should be enjoyed on a front porch while enjoying sweet tea, or whiskey sours. It was a blue grass night. However, I will give it up for The Clumsy Lovers... they started slow with a violin solo but as soon as the rest of the group joined in they had the audience clapping and children spinning and dancing all over again. Bouncy and fun... the bluegrass just seemed so out of place in the Canoe Room. It belongs in a field, or barn, or county fair or place where the feet are free and skirts are flow-y. Though that didn't stop people from kicking off their shoes and dancing away.

I'm sure that once i break through this shell of discomfort these events will turn into really cool experiences. Probably even meet a concert going crowd... or create my own and bring them. but I still just cannot wait until the sun comes out and we get to have fun outdoors on blankets... it's a great venue for a picnic with friends, lovers or whole family. Plus, it was a lovely walk home.

XO, Nanette