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BTE ROCKS ORANGE PEEL 2003 Orange Peel is an annual event put on by Oklahoma State students. The students have a vision of Orange Peel becoming the foremost student produced celebration in the nation. An executive committee and more than 200 volunteer students share this vision each year. With the artists they have booked in the past, they are well on their way. These artists have included Bill Cosby, Faith Hill, Sinbad, Collective Soul, Sister Hazel, Blues Traveler, Vanessa Carlton, Third Eye Blind, and Goo Goo Dolls.
This year’s Orange Peel was promised to be the best ever, and it was. Better Than Ezra, Ben Folds, Barenaked Ladies all performed and the event was hosted by comedian Sinbad. The weather was perfect; it couldn’t have been a better night for a concert. Before Better Than Ezra took the stage Sinbad was telling jokes and working the crowd. He asked if anyone had ever seen the band Ezra? When nobody answered he said, "Exactly, we don’t know whether Better Than Ezra is truly Better Than Ezra." "Ezra might be really good, they just don’t have the money to go on the road." Sinbad went on to tell us that he was instructed to say, "In a few minutes Better Than Ezra." This wasn’t good enough for Sinbad. He pulled some random guy from side stage to ask him where BTE was. He quickly figured out this guy had no idea. He then pulled Kenny from side stage to ask him where BTE was. Kenny advised they were back stage. Sinbad said, "Ezra would never pull this." "You could say, ladies and gentlemen Ezra, and they would come running out!" It was good for a laugh or two.
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Finally the familiar rooster crowed and the concert was underway. The guys came out with great energy and maintained it through the entire show. The thing that most shocked me was the energy level and intensity of the mostly student audience. As I looked down onto the field everyone close to the stage were just standing there. BTE put on an awesome, but super short set – "Misunderstood," a brand new song ("Good"), "Extra Ordinary," "King of New Orleans" (including Beck’s "Debra"), "At the Stars," "This Time of Year," and "Desperately Wanting."
The highlight of the show for me was a guest appearance by Graham Colton during "At the Stars." He literally jumped out on stage to sing the second verse and finished up the song with Kevin. His harmony was right on and sounded just great. There was also a guest chosen to play the guitar during "This Time of Year." He told us his name was James and he did quite well. During his performance, Kevin jumped up on the barrier between the stage and the crowd to sing the last verse. The spectators applauded and cheered for James who was rocking Stillwater BTE style! I felt like the set ended just as the show was getting started. It was not a disappointing show by any means, just a little short. This was Nathan's first SERENADE review. Thanks for "stepping up and throwing down."
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