Thoughts on Barstool Blackout

UNH has been buzzing the last few days about a potential "Barstool Blackout Show" coming to Durham or the seacoast NH region. For the past few months Barstool Sports have been barnstorming college campuses with black lights, light show equipment, DJs and their party reputation, putting on sold out shows everywhere they go. Sounds like fun? Probably for most college students.

But, with the good comes the bad. Barstool, and their owner Dave Portnoy, have gained a misogynistic reputation for what he says and writes. The entire Barstool shtick is simple: sports, hot girls, and quite simply, what guys talk about with their buddies over some drinks. (Hence "Barstool Sports.")

Barstool diehards says it's all fun and games. Words are harmless and the jokes are just jokes. Barstool haters claim that they "condone rape" simply by making off color jokes. Personally, I think both sides have taken things too far. I'm not a Barstool fan, but I do keep up on them because they frequently run local stories about UNH or other schools. Do I honestly think that Barstool "condones rape," simply because of a few sentences written in years of the site being up? No way. Do I think they often take things to far? Absolutely yes.

(If you're out of the loop: TNH's editorial and Barstool's reaction.)

Then there is the argument, "by simply joking about rape, they are making light of it and therefore condoning it and allowing a rape culture." That is the popular argument among those who vehemently oppose Barstool. I think it is a stretch. It is easy to point a finger at someone by taking a quote out of context or removing any sarcasm or possible attempt at humor. It's even easier when it is written down than when it is said. I'm sure most of you (no matter which side you take) has said something in your past - whether joking or not - that would make you sound misogynistic, racist, slutty, prudish, ignorant, uneducated, douchy, or just plain idiotic.

However, I am also not taking Barstool's side at all. I think they go for the cheap laugh, the cheap page hits and use sensationalism to the max. And they do it as well as or better than just about any blog out there. It has worked for them, but you have to understand that is their style. It is their gimmick, and El Prez has nailed what he does, it has made himself a huge cult following and a decent amount of money.

Barstool's response to the entire issue is what grinds my gears more than anything. Every time KO Barstool or a college newspaper releases an editorial on the matter El Prez responds the same way "It's just fat, ugly chicks who are jealous... blah blah blah." (He even called me a "fat chick" two years ago when I took SCOPE's side during Prez's original pissy pants fight with them.)  If that is his only response than I think it pretty much answers the whole question. They're immature and they don't care. They like the attention stuff like this brings to them and they will ride it out as long as people hate on them.

That being said, I definitely think Barstool has taken things too far at times. There is a line when it comes to "jokes" and I believe they have crossed it numerous times. But that is what they do. When it all comes down to it, if they were to land a show in the Whit, it would sellout immediately. There is no doubt in my mind that it would. Lots of students would drink, there would be arrests, but what UNH show isn't like that?

In short, I don't believe that "Barstool condones rape" or "creates a rape culture" but I do believe that joking about it can go too far and hurt people.  I do not think that one causes the other, joking about rape doesn't cause it to happen. Portnoy is an ignorant, arrogant jerk for the things he says and writes. But his blog doesn't cause rape. Poor education on the matter and bad people allow rape to happen. If Bartsool came to UNH I wouldn't be there for personal choices, but I probably wouldn't protest it either. It is what it is. A blog on the internet, it attracts readers who simply "think" in that way, but it doesn't cause people to think that way.

Stay classy, not UMassy

Letter Regarding David Guetta Concert

Dear Students of UNH,

I hope your semester is going well. With David Guetta performing a concert at the Whittemore Center tonight, Wednesday, February 8, I have been asked to get some information out to the students.

I am asking for your cooperation to make sure that no “after concert” problems may arise on campus. UNH has had a few times in our history where major student misbehavior followed concerts such as the Wiz Khalifa and Avicii "ragers." Leading up to and following these concerts significant damage has occurred to student's brain cells and livers.

I am requesting that students stay away from the Main Street area. Students will not be permitted to gather downtown. There is going to be increased police presence at the Whittemore Center and in town. By going downtown you face a serious risk of arrest, suspension from school or face a possible death squad.

Also, to prevent any "during concert" problems, students are being asked to stand still throughout the concert. No singing, no dancing, and absolutely no "going HAM" will be allowed. If you must use the facilities please raise your hand and a trained usher will walk with you. To avoid confusing the ushers, we respectfully ask that you refrain from "fist pumping."

Lastly, to prevent any "pre concert" problems, students are being asked to bring a book to read quietly while waiting in line for the doors to open. Any student found not studying will face possible suspension or arrest.

Enjoy yourselves and thank you for your cooperation. And remember stay classy, not UMassy.

The New Hampshirite
Student Blogger: Certified Bad Ass
unhblog@yahoo.com

SCOPE's Fall Show is...

Two Door Cinema. Can't say I've heard of them, but apparently they were highly requested. Student tickets are just $10 and go on sale at the Whit Box office November 7th.

Not really impressed and I sense an unhappy student body. I'll give them a few listens, but I don't think I'll be going.

SCOPE releases survey and WeekieLeak Part III

SCOPE has released their summer survey and they want to hear who UNH students want for their fall shows when the semester starts up. They haven't had as much feedback, probably due to the fact that we're away from school, but they take these surveys seriously and this is your chance to tell them who you want to perform at UNH. Last semester the number one vote getter was Kid Cudi who SCOPE couldn't afford, but they did get Wiz Khalifa, who was the second vote getter... (then again, maybe I don't want you to vote. Never mind there is no survey, don't click on that link!) Whenever people complain about the president or any elected official I ask if they voted, and if they didn't I tell them they have no right to complain. So if you're planning on complaining about SCOPE's next show make sure you do your duty and fill out the survey. I know many of you will probably claim that SCOPE ruined your senior year because they didn't get your favorite artist who: A) either costs more then all of SACF could afford or B) No one else has heard of - but at least if you fill out the survey you can say that you tried to make a difference. In all fairness SCOPE has done pretty well covering different genres over the past few years. If I may make a prediction, I wouldn't be surprised if they went in a dubstep/dance/trance direction for one show and then some sort of rock show, possibly country or folk rock or some sort of alternative rock. To my knowledge they haven't done anything like recently that and those genres have a growing interest among college students. So UNH, it's up to you to tell SCOPE who you want. Please don't disappoint me, I have a tiny bit of faith left.

As for this week's "WeekieLeak" for the summer project, you may be interested to know that it will allow for my for more serious posts, and particularly my TNH columns, to be presented in a more professional manner. I'm probably going to run out of ideas for weekly leaks and hints before summer ends or the new project in launched, but I'll try to keep this going. Until next week,

Stay classy, not UMassy.

Wiz Reactions

Well, well, well... Another Scope concert and another overflow of negative (and a few positive) remarks thrown every which way... "it wasn't organized" "Scope sucks" "Scope blew it" "It wasn't Scope's fault, it was all the wasted kids" "what was the point of the wrist bands" blah blah blah... you complaints truly make a difference. (Not).

I did not go to the concert, but I talked to a fair amount of people who did. There was one pretty overlying response I got. (Well technically two). For the majority (but not on the whole) underclassmen tended to blame Scope while upperclassmen tended to blame overly drunk students. One email sent to me said "...people were wicked shitty, stoned/drunk/who the fuck knows. It was an overall a piss-poor ability from the student population to handle themselves when under the influence of whatever..." And it continued "We were both fairly intoxicated, but we know better. Plus we weren't puking in the bathrooms at the Whit like half the female population seemed to be. You paid money to go to a show, and you're so drunk you are puking and probably won't remember any of it. Yup, that's intelligent right there."


There is a common trend between all the complaints: Maturity. When I was younger I probably would have been all over Scope, but understanding what they have to deal with makes a big difference. Scope can't override what the Fire Chief says. I wouldn't want to have to deal with all that shitty shit, would you? Don't get me wrong, things can always be handled better, but I think that is it important to remember that Scope members are regular students like you and me. They are not professionals so it is not fair to assume that everything will go over smoothly. I think the bigger problem is with UNH and the local police. I heard a lot of cops being over physical and aggressive with the crowd, which is highly inappropriate. Most cops here aren't too bad, but there are a select few who abuse their powers.

Via Twitter I learned that by 10PM 14 people were already in protective custody at Strafford County. On the whole night 48 people were arrested (including Mac Miller's DJ). An undercover cop came "uncomfortably" close to arresting Wiz. 48 fucking people in one night! I set the over/under at 50!  It's things like this that give UNH a bad name (see: Daily Beast ranking UNH the worst drug school, which was based off arrests). In comparison, the same concert tour went to Rhode Island the night before and there were only 2 arrests.

College students drink. Underage college students drink. Zero tolerance policies do not work and only make things appear worse. It has become apparent that changes need to be made, but the current policy obviously isn't working. I'm not saying that law breakers shouldn't be punished, but there are other ways to go about this problem. Students need to learn to take responsibility for their actions and mistakes, but so does our administration and the police.

Stay classy, not UMassy.

Gogol Bordello Broke the Spell

Warning: Non UNH post. This is basically a concert review that I just want to share for any other members of the Gogol community who might stumble across this.

Last night Gogol Bordello set the Boston House of Blues on fire with an unreal performance that lasted about two hours. Forro in the Dark got the night started with about 45 minutes of their Brazilian reggae sound, but when Eugene Hutz of Gogol took the stage to singalong with Forro's "Nonsensical" (the song that gave me the title idea for this blog) you knew that the night would be all about Hutz and his captivating stage presence.

Different concert obviously, but a similar performance:

Gogol took the stage right at 8 p.m. ripping of hits new and old beginning with "Tribal Connection," "Not a Crime" and "Wanderlust King" before the band transitioned into their latest album playing "My Companjera," "Raise the Knowledge," "Last One Goes the Hope,"Pala Tute," "Immigraniada," "Break the Spell," "Sun is on my Side" and perhaps the best performance of the night with "When Universes Collide." The band also played "Mishto," "American Wedding" (while a fan proposed to his girlfriend on stage) and an almost hip-hop esq version of "Start Wearing Purple" that had the entire house jumping and screaming. (Well, actually the entire house did that all night.) The band took a quick break before performing an encore of "Think Locally, Fuck Globally" and an extended version of "Sacred Darling." The band then stood across the stage and took their bows. Hutz gathered his band of immigrants and gypsies around him for a quick chat before saying to the audience "we got an early start tonight, so we're gonna do a few more." The crowd went nuts and Hutz introduced their next song saying, "we just just got back from Ireland and we were there for St. Patrick's Day so we'd like to take that spirit back with us" and they performed and awesome version of the Dubliners "Dirty Old Town" (made famous by the Pogues) and they finally ended their set with a great version of their old hit "Alcohol." When the concert finally ended my brother turned to me and said something along the lines of "No one else in Boston had as much fun as the people at that concert" (including the members of the band). - I may have missed a few songs, I'm writing this off memory.

This is from a different concert, but it is the same final two songs as last night:

In short, Gogol Bordello may be the best live band around. Adjectives like "energetic" and "charismatic" don't even begin to describe their performances. I've seen them 8 times since my senior year of high school and I wouldn't have done that if it wasn't worth it (including twice in Philly - a 7 hour drive-  and twice more in NYC). If you consider yourself a fan of live music in general then do yourself a favor and see Gogol the next time they roll by your town. You won't regret it.

Thoughts on Passion Pit

Last week when TNH scooped that Scope's fall show would be Passion Pit I immediately thought of MGMT. Both because they have similar music and because of the reaction from the student body. Passion Pit will sellout, but a large majority of campus will still bitch about it, much like last year's MGMT concert. Passion Pit's catalogue is slightly more poppy than MGMT and although I like MGMT more I still think this will be a very fun show. Honestly, I didn't have one Passion Pit song on my itunes until this morning, but I definitely understand why Scope would go for them. Passion Pit seems like a very energetic band and their songs are very danceable.

Now, I am not in Scope and I have limited knowledge on their policies and rules, but I can share what I have found out about through word of mouth and my experiences at UNH. I haven't talked to any Scope members (the only one I knew graduated last year) but, I would still like to respond to a few of the criticisms I've heard... (Most of which come from underclassman who don't understand the logistics of a concert.)

1) The Whit costs more than the Field House for Scope to use. (Plus lighting/sound/various production fees is more in the Whit). Look at the past years, very rarely is there more than one show at the Whit each school year. (Lupe Fiasco and Guster being the exception.) *Also, the Whit is still under construction. New ice and boards are being installed.*
2) Scope only has limited days the Whit and the Field House are available. Also, since most concerts are on weekends or Thursdays, that limits their possible days even more.
3) Many bigger musicians refuse to play college shows. They would rather play in cities where they know the entire crowd are fans and not just there because it is something to do.
4) Musicians usually plan tours far ahead of time. Scope only has a few months, if that, to book a show.
5) Bands have limited dates available and even those who do play college shows usually set a limit per tour.
6) Getting a cheaper "local" band (Passion Pit is from Cambridge Mass) will help them be able to have better/bigger spring shows. Spring Climax, which is usually in the Whit, and another show in the Field House.
7) In the past Scope has generally had 4 shows each year. A homecoming comedian, a fall/winter concert, Spring Climax and an additional spring concert. If Passion Pit isn't your cup of tea, relax, they aren't done yet.
8) It is impossible to please every student with one show. Look at the variety over the past few years and you can see they have done quite well: Passion Pit, Girl Talk, MGMT, Akon, Guster, Lupe Fiasco, Brand New, G Love & Special Sauce, Ghost Face Killah, Dropkick Murphy's, Snoop Dogg. (Plus the comedians: Demetri Martin, Jimmy Fallon, Bo Burnham and Lewis Black.)
9) Many other school's have arenas that book concerts, not just student organizations. For example, the Mullins Center at UMass books many of their own shows (ex: Jay-z and the Barstool shows). Unfortunately, the Whit doesn't usually get college type shows.

One thing I have come to realize is that college is a great time to see concerts you normally wouldn't see. I wouldn't drive down to Boston to see most of those shows, pay parking, gas etc, but I would pay $12-15 for any of them if they are right here on campus. When my four years are up I'm going to be able to look back and say I saw a lot of different types of shows for a small amount of money, and that makes me happy. So before you start bitching about how Scope didn't get your favorite band or rapper, think about what they have to do and deal with, with limited resources. Apart from maybe MGMT, I wouldn't consider any of those bands close to one of my favorites, but I can honestly say I have enjoyed every Scope show I have ever been to.

Stay classy, not UMassy.

Concert Review: Old Crow Medicine Show

Sunday night I went to the Old Crow Medicine Show concert at the Casino Ballroom in Hampton and it was a blast. You may not like "country" but they are not redneck/right-winged/they took our jobs! country. It's actually more like "if you're not a right winger we'll all have a humdinger!"

The band, a 6 piece all-string folk-rock group out of Nashville, basically opened for themselves playing for about 45 minutes, then took a 15 minute break, came back out for another hour and a half and then played a three song encore. The encore included a terrific version of Neil Young's "Cowgirl in the Sand" which was quite a treat. During their "opening" set they played a few covers and mostly stuff off their older albums including "I Hear them All" "Minglewood Blues" and "James River Blues" and also played a couple newer songs like the crowd favorite "Humdinger."

Old Crow played more of their hits during their main set, including the crowd pleaser and one of my personal favorites "Alabama High Test." (below) It was great to see the crowd singing along with the lyrics to that one. "Other songs the band played included "Next Go 'Round" "Caroline" "Down Home Girl" "CC Rider" "Highway Halo" "Mary's Kitchen" and many others I can't think of or don't know the name of.

Toward the end of the set the band finally played their biggest hit "Wagon Wheel" and all 2,000+ in attendance joined in on the lyrics. Especially the lines "running from the cold up in New England"and  "had a nice long toke!" With every verse the crowd got louder and it was by far the best sing-along I've ever been apart of. They followed up "Wagon Wheel" with their final song of the set with the cocaine themed "Tell it to Me" (below) and each band member took a small solo as they introduced one another. As the band left the stage the entire crowd was already calling (more like stamping and screaming) for an encore.

The band reappeared and played "Cowgirl in the Sand" which got a great reaction from the audience. They played two other songs including "Fall on My Knees."

In sum, Old Crow Medicine Show was one goddamn hell-of-a show! They are very talented musicians and writers and they really know how to perform live. I will definitely see them when they come around again.

Girl Talk Review

I would like to start of this post by saying that I have a new found respect for SCOPE. Yesterday afternoon a few SCOPE members stopped by Libby's and left two Girl Talk tickets with a bouncer for El Pres. I don't know if he ever got them, but I just think that is really funny. What a lot of people don't realize, and I mentioned this in a comment before, is that UNH was the only school where he tried to go through a student organization. Every other show was booked by the venue or an off campus bar or club. I really believe that most student organizations would have run into the same problems that happened here at UNH.

That being said, it sounds like people had a lot of fun last night. I haven't heard much of the Stoolapalooza show, but Girl Talk was pretty nuts. From the giant video screen to the confetti to the toilet paper leaf blower gun things. It seemed as if everyone was dancing the entire show dripping in sweat by the time it ended. Of course I can't really give a set list, because he mashes songs up on stage but there were quite a few awesome mix-ups. As a classic rock fan Black Sabbath's "War Pigs," "Teenage Wasteland" by the Who and John Lennon's "Imagine" (which was the final song) were mixed in with hip-hop beats or lyrics were a few of my personal highlights. I really feel like he hit a lot of different genres and everyone came away happy.

 Of course, it's not as fun as seeing the music actually played, but it was a really cool concert that I probably would have never seen had SCOPE not booked him. That is one thing that I've really come to appreciate SCOPE for recently, they bring in acts for low ticket prices that I normally wouldn't see. I mean I have been to Philadelphia (7 hour drive) and NYC twice to see my favorite bands, so I don't really care if they were to come here because I would see them anywhere with in a day's drive. However, acts like MGMT (I might drive an hour to two for them depending on the location/prices etc) and definitely Girt Talk I never would have seen had SCOPE not booked them.

So once again, I am saying job well done to SCOPE. MGMT and Girl Talk might be the best back-to-back shows in a while for any UNH organization. Hopefully MUSO can keep it up with Titus Andronicus on Sunday night, hope to see a good turnout for that show.

Stay classy, not UMassy.

MGMT packs the Field House

Okay, let me start this off by saying that I like MGMT, so I was open minded heading into the show. That being said I was expecting to hear mostly new stuff off Congratulations, but instead the band turned out a "best of" performance balancing their pop hits with the slower psychedelic rock tracks. I really think they played a very good show last night. The sound was a little mushed, but that may have been do to the sound system or the Field House. Let's face it, the gym is a giant cement box. I started out right around center court and eventually moved back near the sound system - so I could breathe - and they sounded much better. They played a solid set alternating between new and old and popular their lesser known songs. The crowd, at least in my section, was kind of lame. And by lame I mean they were douches. I seriously felt like there were way more than 200 non-students and they were all high-schoolers surrounding me.

MGMT's actual performance was less than spectacular. They lacked the energy that usually comes with a live show, but they played a great set list. I have never heard a show in the Field House that actually sounded good, so I won't knock them for that. It is an open gym, not a venue. I would have liked to see a little more movement from them, but for a college show it wasn't terrible.

The Willowz started the night off with some California garage rock. They were kind of bland, with a generic sound. One of my friends put it best when he said every song reminded him of a different band. They did their job as the opener by getting the crowd moving a little with up tempo songs. They weren't terrible, but I wouldn't pay to see them as a feature act.

MGMT opened up with "Flash Delirium," off their newly released Congratulations. They followed that with what may have been their best performance of the night with "The Handshake." They played an extended version of the final stomp that really got the crowd moving. This song really reminded me of  bluesy Pink Floyd. I don't remember the exact set list or order of songs, in fact I don't really remember to much from after the show, but they did play the following:

Song for Dan Treacy, Weekend Wars (great performance), The Youth, Its Working, Time to Pretend, Someone's Missing, I found a Whistle, Electric Feel, Pieces of What, of Moons, Birds and Monsters, and they announced their last song "Brain Eno" putting them at just over an hour on stage. There may have been a few more songs, but that is all I can think of right now. After a quick break they were back up on stage for an encore. They started off with a song I don't know, it was either pre-Oracular Spectacular or an unreleased song, but it was really good. (EDIT: it was "Destrokk" of the Time to Pretend EP). They followed that up with "Congratulations," the final song off their latest album. To end their show they, and what felt like the entire audience, sang "Kids" over a recorded track. The entire Field House was moving, the floor was thumping, as the audience sang both lyrics and the infamous "do da do" of the keyboard.

Personal highlights of the show included "The Handshake," "Weekend Wars," "Time to Pretend," "Its Working" "Electric Feel," which was played much longer than the album version, "Brian Eno," "Congratulations" and "Kids."

Throughout the show the crowd danced, jumped, sang, smoked pot (come on we all saw that smoke coming from the middle of the floor), and swayed along with the songs. Overall I would call the show a success. The way the crowd was moving during their "pop" songs it would appear that the majority of the audience had a good time. The floor was packed the entire night and SCOPE smartly provided free water for everyone. I have heard mixed reviews from others, but everyone I was with really enjoyed themselves.

Including the encore the band played right around an hour and a half, which isn't bad for a college show. (Remember Akon played for like 30 minutes...) According to my count they played about 16 songs, and they covered pretty much their entire range. This was probably the best SCOPE show I have seen and from what I could tell it was very well organized. As a fan of the band I really enjoyed the show. I say job well done SCOPE.

Stay classy, not UMassy.

More thoughts on Scope, MGMT, Congratulations.

It is a Saturday morning, I have a bit of a hangover and nothing to do for a while so here are some of my non-drunk thoughts on Scope, MGMT and their new album Congratulations.

I really like MGMT and anyone who thinks that Sam Adams is more talented than MGMT probably has a few loose wires in their brain. I almost feel bad for Scope, they have had a rough year. First their homecoming comedian cancels late so they grab Akon last minute. Akon is a big name, but he would have been better like 5 years ago. Anyways, Akon sells out the Whit, but supposedly plays a terrible show. I chose not to go but from what people told me it was short and reportedly he lip synched a bunch, but most rappers do live, at least a little bit. Then for the rest of the semester people, including me, bitch at Scope to get a band and not a rapper. So, they get  MGMT, who is actually one of the biggest bands out there at the moment. I guarantee MGMT will be a better concert than Akon or any other rapper Scope would have paid the same price for. I have been to dozens of concerts and rap concerts are never as good as a full band. It happened last year at UNH, the majority people who went to both spring shows later admitted that the Brand New concert was better than Lupe.

 Meanwhile, the other half of campus bitches at Scope either because the show is in the field house or because they don't like MGMT. I think this is funny, because if you go back on Scope's facebook wall quite a few people requested MGMT as well as on their surveys. MGMT is our generation's psychedelic pop band, like when the Beatles came out with Sergeant Peppers. Their first album "Oracular Spectacular" was revolutionary for music today. It had a little bit of every thing including funky drums and bass to dance to acid-trip inducing synthesizers. I haven't been to a party all year where "Kids" or "Electric Feel" weren't  blasted and they seemed to be crowd favorites. "Time to Pretend" (below) has some of the best lyrics of any song I have heard in a while. With the amount of success MGMT gained through OS they tour across the country at the biggest festivals and sellout famous venues.

Now MGMT is about to release "Congratulations" which can be streamed on their website, FOR FREE. For the students who think MGMT is snobby for not moving the show to the Whit, they wanted let the album be a free download, but their label wouldn't let them.  I have listened through it twice and it definitely shows they have grown musically. (Please note that I have never done acid.) Congratulations once again proves MGMT's lyrical ability, discussing their rise to fame and other trippy things that actually have some meaning. It opens up with a bang with "It's Working." Songs like "Flash Delirium" (below) and the 12 minute long "Siberian Breaks" show of the bands musical range while some songs like "I Found a Whistle" have singable lyrics reminiscent of Oracular Spectacular. A few songs, such as "Brian Eno" almost have a punk feel. Overall, Congratulations has more of a prog-rock Pink Floyd/Syd Barret feel and less of a pop feel than Oracular Spectacular, but they continue with their catchy lyrics and interesting sound. I think it is actually a better album than OS, but most reviews say otherwise. The band admittedly went in a different direction with this album and I personally think it worked. It already has me excited to see what they will do with a third album. I am not a "music expert", if that actually exists, so to put it simply I enjoyed Congratulations.



Maybe it is time we give Scope a break, they only have so much money and no matter who they get half of the campus will bitch them out. It is impossible to please the entire campus, because 12,000 people are bound to have different tastes in music. But ignorant students fail to comprehend that. It is true. I used to be one before I stood back and put my personal music tastes aside. What else are they supposed to do? Every fucking concert they put on people flip out. Scope could bring 2-Pac and Notorious BIG back from the dead, have them unite on stage simultaneously ending the war in the Middle East, and follow them up with the 70's Led Zeppelin and students would complain.

Stay classy, not UMassy. 

Thoughts on Spring Climax

Let me start this off by saying I was very happy to see SCOPE book MGMT for a show. I think this will be a great concert and many students were obviously pleased seeing how quickly it sold out. I was in line at 8:30 a.m. and finally was able to buy a ticket just after 12:30. During those four hours I missed two classes because I determined that MGMT > latin and anthropology. Also, some friends had required classes or tests that they couldn't miss. I was in line to buy three tickets, one for me, one for my roommate and one for a friend who doesn't go to UNH. Needless to say the 200 non-student tickets went fast so I bought a third student ticket for a kid who couldn't wait longer (and I made $5 for it.) Anyways, a lot of people were very upset to learn the show sold out before they could get tickets, especially those who waited in line all morning. Take a peek at this email one blog reader sent in:

"It's disappointing that Scope booked an artist that isn't going to play in the Whit to allow the most amount of the student population to see the show.  I skipped a mandatory class and I know my friends and other people skipped their classes and missed tests to wait in line.  Some were lucky to get a ticket but most of them, like me,  just waited and wasted their time to find out that the show was sold out. Why would Scope pick a band that didn't want to play for a large group of kids?  It doesn't make sense when there are 12,000+ undergrads at UNH. I like the that Scope mixed it up and chose MGMT and was really looking forward to the show but they should've picked a band that was willing to play for a larger audience since there's such a large group of people here or at least work things out with MGMT to get them to play at the Whit.  Someone said Akon had about 5,000-6,000 kids but the Spring CLIMAX is only going to have 2,400?!  I feel bad for the Seniors this year that wanted but didn't get a ticket, this is their last Climax and they won't be a part of it.  Students should at least get some of their $93 student activity fee back if Scope isn't going to give them an opportunity to purchase a ticket that they already basically half paid for.  I know you are excited to see MGMT lets see you use some of your pull and try to get more of the UNH students the ability to enjoy the show by trying to get the show moved to the Whit.  I read your blog everyday and if you can get UNH dining shaking in their boots you're my hope to try and reach out to Scope.  I really want to see this show. Thanks."


First of all, that was an awesome email to read, so thank you. I do own dining, but they are run by immature and self-conscience adults who are much easier to piss of than students who get bitched at 4 times a year for not booking everybody's favorite band. I said before that I wouldn't bash on SCOPE because I think they did a great job landing MGMT, but I completely understand where this reader is coming from. So, as much as it pains me, I am not going to take a side for once. I think that SCOPE needs to respect MGMT's request for the smaller venue, but don't forget last year's climax with Lupe was also scheduled for the field house and later moved into the Whit. Personally, I have always felt that the field house actually has better sound quality than the Whit. With such a high ceiling and open concourse the sound can become lost and distorted in the Whit. On the other side of the spectrum I feel terrible for people who had to wait in line without getting a ticket in the end. I would have been absolute rip-shit if that happened to me... and you would never here the end of it.

However, I feel there were two main problems that go beyond who is playing and where. The first is that non-student tickets should not be sold until the day after student tickets go on sale. And they should be treated as regular tickets if the student tickets sellout. 200 activity-fee-paying-UNH students cannot attend this concert because non-student tickets went on sale at the same time. I think that is the most unfair situation of all. The second problem was SCOPE members being terrible at organization. When I entered the GSR at 8:30 this morning I was asked if I was paying cash or credit. I said cash and was directed to one line. After about an hour I saw a sign that said "cash and student tickets only," and I was planning on buying one non-student ticket. (So I would have been a part of the first problem, back off.) So I needed to switch lines and in another hour we were told non-student tickets were sold out. I then switched back into the cash line and eventually (2 hours later) got my tickets. I don't understand why in the beginning that the SCOPE member didn't tell me that it was cash and students only. Luckily I realized this before it was too late, or I might have been out a ticket too.

At least SCOPE doesn't charge ridiculous fees like ticket master. Check out this screen shot I took after purchasing a ticket to see Gogol Bordello in Boston:

 

Really? $8.05 convenience charge? $2.95 to oder online and $2.50 to print a ticket. Bullshit!

I had to pay $40.50 for a $27 ticket! Whatever, I guess between that and waiting in line for 4 hours today will be worth it to see two sick concerts two nights apart. Before I leave I really would like to see SCOPE contact MGMT and inquire about a larger show at the Whit. How nice would it be to see MGMT outdoors at night? Or how about they say fuck fire code and sell more tickets for the field house! That thing ain't burning down!

Stay classy, not UMassy.

Bo Burnham Coming to UNH

Well done SCOPE... but I still hate you...



I take full credit by requesting him on SCOPE's online survey. He is great for a live college show.
Stay classy, not UMassy.

This is Music

I just want to quickly say that on May 28th Steve Earle will be kicking off his new Townes van Zandt tribute tour at the Portsmouth City Music Hall. I know that none of you have probably never heard of Earle or van Zandt so I’ll fill you in. Townes van Zandt, who battled depression, alcoholism and drug addictions throughout his life, is considered to be one of the greatest American folk and blues singers. Van Zandt, who passed away in 1997, was often called  "a songwriter's songwriter" with artists like Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Robert Plant citing him as source of inspiration. Earle was a very close friend of van Zandt and his tribute album “Townes” is set to be released on May 12th. The 15-song album features a guest appearance of Tom Morello, formerly of Rage Against the Machine. I'm sure this will be an extremely intimate show in the Music Hall. I highly recommend it to any locals who really enjoy music and the art of songwriting.  

Townes van Zandt plays "Pancho and Lefty."

Steve Earle "Tennessee Blues" 

Stay classy, not UMassy.

Swine Flu Reaction at UNH

It appears that Swine Flue has gotten the best of people here at UNH. Just recently the Durham Chief of Police ordered SCOPE to purchase 5,000 masks for people to wear at this weekend's Lupe Fiasco concert. Once again SCOPE came up short and they were only able to purchase 300 masks. The masks will be available to the first 300 hundred people who ask, but don't even bother. These masks are too porous and the virus can easily seep through into one's airway. This really is not a big deal because on average only 1-2 people die in a year because of Swine Flu. Compare that to the 35,000-37,000 the die in a given year from the basic human flu. Swine Flu is just another case of the media blowing up something and scaring the public. The same thing happens every year with dozens of different viruses and diseases. Within a few weeks this will all go away and people will realize how badly they overreacted. Here is my equation I developed for the situation: Hyper Media + Ignorant Public = Unnecessary Reactions. Don't be stupid people.

Stay classy, not UMassy.

Thursday Thoughts

Happy thirsty Thursday my fellow Nonsensical Happenites. I want to start this post off by expressing my concern about something. What the fuck is wrong with kids who think its cool to pull the fire alarm at 4 fucking 30 in the morning? Are you still in high school you immature piece of shit? Over 400 people were forced into the freezing cold for about 20 minutes this morning because of your stupidity. Then we had to listen to a firefighter explain that it had to be a resident or a resident's guest because the doors are locked and you need a card to gain access to the building. Really dude? I never realized that only dorm residents can get in after 10pm. (That was called sarcasm.) Another thing that has pissed me off is the campus housing for next year. I was looking at the room checklist yesterday and I noticed that the Mills are completely filled and there are only like 12 rooms available in all the SERCS combined. Tonight SCOPE presents Guster, at 8pm at the Whittemore Center. I bought a ticket to the show because it was only 5 dollars but I'm probably not going to go because I can't pick my housing until 7:20. Look out Stoke, "Here I Come."

Fucking Jimmy Fallon. He ruined that song for me. Seriously the Roots are the only good thing about Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. I know that he is trying but he just wasn't made for late night. It's not his fault, just whoever hired him should probably be lobotomized like John F. Kennedy's older sister. All-American family? Really? 

Well that is all I have for now. Be prepared for an interesting study/research post  about UNH students I will be "publishing" this weekend. 

Stay classy, not UMassy.