#3: Arts Cultural Response: Rock the Vote Concert

I've been to many concerts in the past but they have never been free. Going to the Rock the Vote Concert starring ALO, G. Love and Jack Johnson, was one of the first impulsive decisions I've made since I've been here and I wouldn't have gone if I had to pay for it. I didn't know any of Jack Johnson's music BUT I figured I would give it a shot and I'm so glad I did because it was awesome!

The concert was Wednesday, September 19 at 7 PM in the Eisenhower Auditorium on campus. The room was packed with people and it was a really great atmosphere. I would say there were a couple thousand people in the room and every one of them was excited and energetic.

The first band to come on stage was ALO, who I had never heard of before. I expected them to be a mediocre, average band but they were incredible. Their music was very upbeat and easy to dance along to; at times the entire room was moving their arms back and forth simultaneously and singing along.

The second act was the singer, Garrett Dutton, who is known as G. Love. His music was also really great but many of the songs sounded alike and after the 3rd song I could tell the crowd was getting bored. People started to talk and the music turned into background music but it was still nice to listen to.

The final and most important act of the night was Jack Johnson!! When he walked onstage the entire crown went wild and jumped out of their seats. Even though I'm not a big fan, I still got the butterflies because of the overwhelming atmosphere of the room. His music was very calming and he had great lyrics.

At the previous concerts I've been to, there was a huge mob of people right in front of the stage, dying to get a closer look at the performers. It usually gets sweaty and uncomfortable very quickly and extremely claustrophobic. In the Eisenhower it was relatively comfortable; we got to sit in chairs and did not have to worry about people pushing us around to get a good view. It was extremely loud, but that was expected.

It was not my first time at a Rock the Vote concert because my high school used to have them as well. This past year, TimeFlies and Third Eye Blind performed at my school and in 2008 Gym Class Heroes performed. However, it was my first concert at PennState.

My expectations for the concert were low because going into it, I didn't know what kind of music I would be hearing. I figured I would be bored most of the time because I had never heard the songs, but it surpassed my expectations completely and I found myself not wanting to leave. When I talked to my friends about it, they felt the same way. In fact, we all went back to our dorms and downloaded the music that we had heard that night!

I would definitely go back to one of these events because even though I'm not old enough to vote, it's a great way to get together and listen to great music.