Felicia NeuberCrowds of young girls camped outside of the Dixon Center from 11 a.m. as they huddled together in the frigid cold, rocked out to their favorite bands and desperately tried to get a glimpse of all the events that were taking place inside the Dixon Center. The normal Saturday vacant parking lot was packed to capacity.
Cabrini College’s Cap Board held its annual concert in the Dixon Center on Saturday, Jan. 26. This year the popular pop-punk band, All Time Low, headlined the show.
The planning, preparation and brainstorming for the concert had been going on since May 2007, but to onlookers and fans the real action started that night at 7 p.m.
The show commenced when Cabrini’s Justin Bostwick and his band, Affinity Lost, took the stage as friends and fans overwhelmingly showed their support through cheers and screams. A mosh pit even started to form, but was quickly put to a halt by Bear Security.
The next band up was Every Avenue. The crowd’s energy was up, as swarms of girls sang along to the words and threw gifts on the stage.
Every Avenue’s bassist, Josh, described the experience and coming to Cabrini as “awesome.”
“We were treated really well,” Josh said.
Performing to throngs of screaming fans is not the only perk to being a touring musician. Josh described the antics that were going on behind the scenes.
“We are currently having a van prank war with All Time Low. We covered their tour van in salsa and peanut butter, but it’s their turn to get us next.”
Just a couple hours before Every Avenue took the stage, a few of its members were walking all around the Dixon Center with fluorescent orange security vests striking conversations with crew members, taking pictures and increasing the crew’s good spirits. They were down to earth and made sure everyone was having a good time.
The newly formed band, Your Sweet Uncertainty, which includes Jeff Kummer of The Early November, was the third act to take the stage. The audience listened intently as they performed the songs from their new CD. Their cover of Weezer’s “My Name is Jonas” further enthralled the crowd as they sang along.
“The people were responsive,” Kummer said of the crowd’s reaction.
The crowd began to get restless as the last set-change was in progress. Finally, the lights dimmed, fans cried out and the four members, Alex, Jack, Rian and Zack, took the stage. After a few songs, they took time out from their performance to present an autographed banner to the lucky raffle winner, junior psychology, sociology and religious studies, Danielle Murphy.
The efforts that were put into organizing the concert were evident in the events turnout and the crowd’s energy.
“I thought it was well planned. It was a lot of fun and we had a great turn out,” said Megan Kutulis, sophomore English and communications major.
The All Time Low concert has been the most successful concert to be produced by Cabrini in the recent years, with over 700 tickets sold. Attendees included Cabrini students and community members alike.
“I think the crowd responded well to the concert. I think some of the people were a little too young. But what can we do? They paid the money to see their favorite band. Overall, I think the crowd loved all the bands,” said Gabrielle Spano, sophomore international business major.
The band was kind and thanked the crew for everything. The lead singer, Alex, made sure that the swarms of fans that bombarded him all had an opportunity for a picture and an autograph. They were not uptight rock stars, but average guys who just wanted to play music and communicate to their fans.
Bass player Zack described the feeling of hearing your name screamed by hundreds of adoring concert goers.
“I feel like I’m the greatest person in the world. It is a rush.”
