Rachel Rippetoe |
I started my Rock the Bluff experience mildly indignant for a couple of reasons.
First, I was put off by Young the Giant’s press policies: no interviews, no one backstage, only pictures for the first three songs.
I mean, what was the big deal? The venue was the gym of a Catholic college, what could they have been doing back there that they didn’t want us to see? Did they think we’d sell the interview to Rolling Stone for a couple grand? I didn’t get it.
Although I was frustrated, I had to keep my critic’s glasses on for the show. I had heard from friends that YTG was excellent live and I needed to make sure they lived up to the hype.
However, my indignation was not soothed for long. I made it to the Chiles Center entrance only to be told by the people in charge of security that I was not allowed to bring my purse in.
This was my second “You’ve got to be kidding me” moment of RTB. I’ve been to several venues in Portland and not one of them has had a problem with my small bag.
Although, again, this could have a very valid reason behind it, tickets contained no information whatsoever about restrictions on bags.
Separated from half my friends, I marched back to my friend’s dorm in Mehling to drop off my purse, yelling warnings to clusters of unknowing girls about to walk into the hellfires with their satchels.
By the time I got back to Chiles, my friends were nearly at the front of the stage, and it was already starting to get crowded. Panic crept in.
As I tried to reach my friends in the front, I was pushed, elbowed, stepped on and cursed at. I was far closer than I had ever wanted to unfamiliar classmates. The show hadn’t even started yet.
The “You’ve got to be kidding me” feeling was all too familiar at this point. Had any of these people been to a concert before? Neither band plays mosh pit music, and neither band was One Direction, so this made zero sense to me.
Finally, Priory came on, bursting with energy. They played with an upbeat tempo that I would have really enjoyed, except that I couldn’t move. The only thing I did even remotely resembling a dance was the swaying motion that came from the crowd of drunk people pushing against me.
While this was just a nuisance for me, it ruined the show for others. Freshman Ariel Haynes was disappointed and frightened by the tight and rowdy crowd as she watched one of her friends get trampled and sent to the ER.
“It was honestly a really dangerous situation for a lot of people,” Haynes said. “I didn’t get a chance to enjoy the concert and I’m really sad about that.”
This didn’t go unnoticed by the event’s staff. CPB member Jacque Nelson says that as Rock The Bluff grows in size and popularity, safety is going to be a higher priority.
“One thing we would like to see next year is more respect for personal space and safety,” said Nelson. “We want everyone to have fun and let loose a little, but not at someone else’s expense.”
After a couple songs, I realized that despite the band’s effervescent stage presence, I wasn’t having fun either. I began to think that my front row view - more like fourth row - wasn’t worth it.
We made our way to the very back of the crowd and let me tell you, it was the best decision I made the entire night. I’ve never been so grateful for space. I could finally breathe again.
I could see Priory better from the back and I actually had room to sway, even dance, to their energetic setlist. My night got significantly better.
Priory kept up the energy. Band member Brandon Rush even made the best out of the god-awful mosh pit situation by performing a spontaneous crowd surf.
Young the Giant came on with an energy equal to that of Priory’s, with the crowd energy surpassing its already-deranged level of enthusiasm.
The band’s anthem-like songs, like “Cough Syrup,” “My Body,” “Mind Over Matter,” fit the large space of Chiles. The vivacity of the audience and the intensity of the lights all meshed in a way that had everyone embarrassingly dancing with their eyes closed.
However, most of YTG’s other songs aren’t meant for such a large venue. Although Sameer Gadhia on lead vocals has a large stage presence, much of the band’s music is so heavily based on vocals and acoustics that their sound is better appreciated in smaller spaces.
Freshman Julia Cramer also felt that the environment wasn’t best suited for the indie band.
“I saw Young the Giant once before, and it was amazing,” Cramer said. “But with the crowded and loud atmosphere and audience, they didn’t seem like they were playing their best.”
Young the Giant’s website features a video of an acoustic version of “Mind Over Matter” performed in a cave. When I saw that video, Gadhia’s voice nearly had me in tears.
How dare you CPB? Why can’t we have Rock The Bluff in a cave where all 2,000 UP students and their pre-frosh can watch in an intimate performance?
In all seriousness, any hate that I’ve thrown at Rock The Bluff was completely out of CPB’s control and should in no way reflect the hard work they put in to make the event something that everyone could enjoy.
They can’t control the rowdy drunk crowd or the naive pre-frosh unaware of concert etiquette. They can’t control the band’s policies, and as far as I know, they can’t control the venue.
Thank you to CPB and everyone who pitched in.
After the concert, as I walked back to Kenna Hall exhausted, weak and bruised, I overheard a group of girls excitedly chattering about how amazing it was to be right near the stage singing every word to “My Body.”
I danced and had a good time at the show, despite having my critic’s glasses on, but, as I eavesdropped on their elation, I dived into their moment. I wasn’t critical. I wasn’t indignant. I wasn’t claustrophobic. I was just there with them singing along, and it felt good.
Rachel Rippetoe is a reporter for The Beacon. She can be reached at rippetoe18@up.edu.
