<st Saturday was Carleton’s 31st Annual Spring Concert, an event that most students look forward to all year. Now that it has come and gone, the questions that remains is, was it worth the wait?
One thing that is always a toss up for each Spring Concert is the weather. Unlike years past where rain and cold winds have been a hindrance to some of the festivities, this year’s weather was amazingly beautiful. There was plenty of sun, which definitely allowed for a wide range of summer outfits to be worn and kept the high energy of the day going throughout the entire concert.
This year’s line-up consisted of Lushlife, Peter Wolf Crier, Twin Sister, The Thermals and The Dean’s List. It seems that the general student consensus was not in favor of the headlining band, The Dean’s List.
“We all knew they were going to suck,” Alex Stevens ’12 quipped after the performance. “And they did.”
And while his sentiment may be more harshly worded than others, many other students expressed similar frustrations with some of the performing acts. It seems that while The Dean’s List catered well to the “party” vibe that always comes with Spring Concert, their music left a bit to be desired. It was definitely loud and fun but many students felt that in terms of musical skill, they were not the best of the day.
“I thought the music was crap,” said Hannah Jensen ‘12. “It did not really enhance anything for me. But it was lovely seeing all my friends in one place. The Concert was more about being around the people I love and spending time with them.”
The Thermals seemed to give one of the better performances with their punky garage-band sound. Students could be spotted crowd surfing towards the front of the stage and dancing along to the music.
Peter Wolf Crier may have been one of the more surprising acts of the day because of their intimate feel and charisma. As an up and coming band from Minneapolis, it seems that they are well on their way to gaining a solid following among young folks, like Carleton students.
While it is hard to satisfy a student body with a wide range of tastes, the concert, overall, went smoothly and there was plenty of great energy and dancing on the grounds.
This year, another student favorite, the Mobile Photobooth made a solid comeback. There was a steady steam of students at any give time waiting to go inside. Student Activities really did well to bring this back and give students a way to commemorate the day’s fun with their friends.
While Carleton in years past has been more lax about the alcohol policy at Spring Concert, I think this year’s security was done tactfully without totally restricting the libations. Many students of age brought in their allowed limit of 6 canned beers per person and there were not as many complaints as I imagined there would be over this policy.
All in all, it was well worth the wait for this year’s Spring Concert. In true form, it was an exhausting day but students have been riding high since and allowing themselves to enjoy Spring Term as it is best enjoyed– outside, with some beer and friends.