A concert should never, ever, EVER be held in a gym.
Amherst College, please heed this advice. The acoustics at your Friday night show were absolutely unbearable. Does anyone in your organization know anything about sound? Well, I know that here at UMass we have some competent sound people. Anyone who has been to the Fine Arts Center or the Student Union Ballroom or even the old Skybox know that we know what we’re doing over here on our campus. Maybe next time you decide to get a group to come to Amherst, you can send them over to a school that knows how to put on a show.
Despite the horrible, HORRIBLE conditions of the “venue,” the show still went on, although inaudibly.
As veteran players in the hip-hop game, the Beatnuts should have their live show wrapped up, but judging from Friday, they care little for pumping up a crowd. Perhaps they’re bitter that they have to do shows at places like a gym at Amherst College because they’re so hard up for cash, or maybe they’re just stoned all the time and don’t want to do shows. Whatever the reason, their performance was mediocre at best.
The show started out with tracks from their older stuff, mainly songs that nobody in the crowd knew from albums that no one bought. Eventually they started playing songs that fans did recognize, such as “Prendelo,” “Yo Yo Yo,” and “It’s Da Nuts,” from Take it or Squeeze it, and selections from A Musical Massacre, such as “Beatnuts Forever,” and the extremely popular dance hit, “Get Money.” Finally, after a long 45 minute set (sarcasm), they played their latest single, “No Escapin’ This” from Squeeze it.
Every song that they played lasted approximately 1.5 minutes and involved the DJ bringing in a beat that no one could hear, and then Les and Juju practically putting the mics into their mouths, shouting their rhymes at a volume somewhere near five million decibels. Those in the crowd who were not lucky enough to have earplugs covered their ears in pain, others just ran out. Meanwhile, Les and Juju looked annoyed as they asked the crowd selfishly, “Who here copped our latest album?”
Much of the crowd’s attention was turned toward the back of the gym, where a collection of break-dancers had assembled to show off their skills. Guys who could only have been gymnasts spun on their backs and heads to the astonishment and egging on by their encircling onlookers. They were so involved in their tricks that they seemed to be unaffected by the piercing shrieks coming from the speakers.
The headlining band may have been disappointing, but the opening acts made the trip over to Amherst worthwhile. The first group was a local foursome from Springfield or somewhere who called themselves the “Rival School.” Three emcees and a DJ came on stage to show off their bourgeoning talent. Though it felt as though their show was one big inside joke between them and their personal friends who came to the gym, they put on an entertaining show. The white guy in the band looked like Michael Rappaport and wore an ice cube tray around his neck. One of the other guys looked like he was about to drive away on his Honda ATV since he was wearing what looked like Fox Racing gloves. The third guy concentrated on actually pumping up the crowd. Amusing yet talented, the local band was a good group to warm up a college crowd.
The highlight of the evening came when newcomer Miri Ben-Ari graced the stage with her absolutely fantastic experimental groove. This small, Israeli-American woman quietly walked on stage with a flower in her hair and a sweet smile. At first, the DJ, keyboard player and two emcees who took the stage before her dominated the joint. However, after Miri plugged in her electric violin, the crowd went wild over her. Her mix of hip-hop beats, rhymes and classical instrumentals stirred the audience into a frenzy. She played the hooks of popular rap songs such as, “The Breaks,” by the infamous Curtis Blow and “Ugly” by recent rap phenom Bubba Sparxx on her electric violin. For a couple of songs, she played violin while her emcees rapped over it. In others, she stood alone and let her violin write the rhymes. Throughout her entire performance, the crowd at Amherst was in was completely attentive; for a moment they could hear each note and word clearly despite the despicable sound quality.
Amherst college students, you tried, you did. But you made mistakes. How about the next time you plan on booking a show, you follow these simple rules:
1. Sound check. Wait, maybe you should leave this to the experts. Okay, rule one, get someone from UMass to come over and get your sound stuff taken care of. Someone like Angela Ruggiero, from FAC. She was a roadie for NSync this summer; she knows all about setting up for a concert.
2. Alright, this is the tough one. When you book a band, make sure it’s someone who is going to actually play a show, not just wander around stage for 35 or 40 minutes shouting and then get off early. How about booking a band that people like and who is excited about coming to the school?
3. Don’t ever, EVER have a concert in a gym. Period.
Hopefully if you follow these simple guidelines you’ll host a successful jam. My ears are still ringing from Friday’s debacle.
