Spring Concert Rocks Plourde
By Kerry King

On Saturday, March 15th, the doors of the Plourde Recreation Center opened at 7:00 p.m. to an excited crowd of fans awaiting Assumption's Spring Concert featuring Better Than Ezra and Tonic. Concert tickets were sold to students for 10 dollars apiece in advance and 15 dollars at the door. Planning and advertising for the event paid off, as approximately 900 people were in attendance.

According to Junior Jeremy Carr, CAB Concert Chairperson, plans for the Spring Concert began in October, as a subcommittee began brainstorming for a possible act. "We looked at a bunch of national acts ranging from G. Love to the Nappy Roots to Oleander to John Mayer," said Carr. "Essentially each band we looked at was either not available in the Spring or not economically feasible."

Better Than Ezra and Tonic were booked over Winter Break. Following a tip from an agent in Chicago concerning Better Than Ezra's interest in playing at small colleges, Carr placed a successful bid on the band. Tonic later accepted his bid for the opening act, as they were planning an acoustic tour.

Tonic approached the stage at 8:00 p.m., performing old favorites such as "Lemon Parade," "Casual Affair," "If You Could Only See,"and "You Wanted More." The more dedicated fans were pleased to hear tracks off their latest album, too, including "Head on Straight," and "Take Me As I Am."

Tonic's Irish tendencies appeared perfect for a weekend performance just shy of St. Patrick's Day. The energy and enthusiasm of the band's performance really got the crowd pumped for the second act of the concert.

Better Than Ezra rocked the stage, opening with the energized and powerful performance of "Recognize." Later, the band produced tunes the audience could sing along with, such as hits "Extra-Ordinary," "Good," and "Desperately Wanting."

As if the awesome music was not enough, the stage presence of Better Than Ezra created a show Assumption will not soon forget. Students were invited to sit on the stage, while one lucky Assumption guitarist actually got to jam with the band during a segment of the show. Better Than Ezra lead singer Kevin Griffin captivated the audience as he made references to our infamous Price Chopper, which he referred to as "Price Cutter," saying, "Price Cutter rocks 24 hours a day!"

"One of the big things we're really proud of is the national popularity of both bands," said Carr, accrediting "lots of peer participation" from fellow Cabbies to the success of the concert. Freshman John Murphy designed the t-shirt for volunteers, Junior Geoff LaMarche helped with stage crew, Sophomore Mike Dunlea was Head of Security, Junior Liane Julianello assisted bands and management backstage, Senior Robyn Kennedy assisted with managerial duties, and Freshman Ryan O'Connor helped with marketing.

"I think the concert was incredible," said Carr. "Both bands played their hearts out and truly enjoyed themselves and the Assumption crowd."