To kick off this past spring fling weekend, Plymouth State was lucky enough to have RJD2 spinning records and making feet move. To those who don’t know RJD2 has been the in the DJ game since the early nineties, even having one of his tracks A Beautiful Mine as the theme song for popular TV series Mad Men.
The word spread around campus fast. Many students were pumped for the show to say the least. I showed up about ten minutes after he took the stage, and was astounded at the mass exodus walking out of the Hartman Union Building. When asking about the show, one student said, “Dude, he’s killing it, but the sound and lights are pathetic.” I found this hard to believe considering RJD2’s long-running fame.
Upon walking in, that rumor was confirmed. Lots of people were dancing, but still more than half the court was empty, with a few stragglers spread out in the back. The sound quality was weak at best. It took minimal effort to get to the front row, and once there it was still reasonably easy to hear conversations.
However, the sound wasn’t stopping the crowd from dancing. People were still crowd surfing until they reached the back of the audience where there weren’t enough hands to keep them up. I actually had the pleasure of catching a girl before she hit the floor, only to be shoved by some random kid with a bad attitude. It didn’t feel like the atmosphere one would expect from a Plymouth State event.
The police presence also seemed a little overwhelming, which seemed to distract RJD2 from his goal of making people move. Obviously most people will agree that there is definitely a need for a security. However, having four officers on each side of the stage, along with numerous others scattered throughout the court seemed a little overwhelming. Perhaps it would have looked more inviting if there was private security hired instead of badges and guns.
One person, however, was apparently not fazed by the law enforcement as he jumped on the stage and was immediately taken into custody by two officers. Whether he was actually arrested was not apparent, as I was more concerned with watching the rest of the performance.
In the end I, as well as many other students, wished there was just better organization. Great sound quality and a packed crowd makes musicians much more excited to play at venues. It’s hard to have an awesome set when the crowd isn’t as big enough because of poor audio. Though RJD2 is still very talented, he, and the student body, deserved a better performance during the most anticipated weekend of the year.
However, the sound wasn’t stopping the crowd from dancing. People were still crowd surfing until they reached the back of the audience where there weren’t enough hands to keep them up. I actually had the pleasure of catching a girl before she hit the floor, only to be shoved by some random kid with a bad attitude. It didn’t feel like the atmosphere one would expect from a Plymouth State event.
The police presence also seemed a little overwhelming, which seemed to distract RJD2 from his goal of making people move. Obviously most people will agree that there is definitely a need for a security. However, having four officers on each side of the stage, along with numerous others scattered throughout the court seemed a little overwhelming. Perhaps it would have looked more inviting if there was private security hired instead of badges and guns.
One person, however, was apparently not fazed by the law enforcement as he jumped on the stage and was immediately taken into custody by two officers. Whether he was actually arrested was not apparent, as I was more concerned with watching the rest of the performance.
In the end I, as well as many other students, wished there was just better organization. Great sound quality and a packed crowd makes musicians much more excited to play at venues. It’s hard to have an awesome set when the crowd isn’t as big enough because of poor audio. Though RJD2 is still very talented, he, and the student body, deserved a better performance during the most anticipated weekend of the year.