Sam Kemerer
Issue date: 4/19/10 Section: Opinion

Hey Taylor, a few thousand people called, they had an amazing time at Springfest!

The opener, The Rocket Summer, was great. The Rocket Summer is the rock solo-project of Stephen Bryce Avary, a Dallas based multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and producer. He writes and produces every song on his records and plays every instrument on the records. However, for the show, he hired several musicians. The band did a great job getting the crowd involved. During a portion of the show, they even left the stage and played in the middle of the crowd.

They seemed to have been well received by all the audience members, even those who had not previously heard of them. The less mainstream band was a great way to start the event and lead into the headliner. (By the way, The Goo Goo Dolls' recently released album, Of Men and Angels, held the number one spot on iTunes upon its release).

As far as the Goo Goo Dolls go, they were fantastic. Due to the fact that they are timeless and classic, the concert became a community event that could be enjoyed by people of all ages and backgrounds, not just "music snobs" who keep up with the current thing. It seemed like almost everyone was able to sing along with at least one of the band's hit songs. The set list was a mixture of old favorites as well as hit songs off their new album.

CUB was able to manage the event effectively and on schedule. And, if there were any security issues, they were not noticeable or disruptive. Now, keep in mind that I'm not a "music snob" or anything, but I personally didn't miss the pushing, shoving, marijuana smell and urine on the floor that comes with poorly managed concerts. I have no idea how that could be considered at all "superior."

I think many students tend to not realize how much work actually goes into putting on productions like Springfest. There are hours upon hours of planning and setup. CUB coordinates and sets up the entire event with the assistance of a few hired out hands. They are not only responsible for choosing the band, but they also have to coordinate with university officials, booking agents, security, and lighting and stage crews. Springfest does not just happen by magic. There is a lot of work involved and I'm just thankful that there's a group of dedicated people who are willing to put in the effort to make it a great success.

[source]http://media.www.clarksonintegrator.com/media/storage/paper280/news/2010/04/19/Opinion/Dolls.Rocked-3909005.shtml[/source]