To the editor:
At the beginning of each semester, I say a little prayer to myself that the concert Geneseo will bring in will finally be something new. Now, in my senior year, I realize that God truly does have a cruel sense of humor - we got Brand New.
I probably should have been more specific. I guess I shouldn't have expected much from the school that has brought us such hot bands as Third Eye Blind and Jack's Mannequin, but I was really hoping for something just a little bit more out of the ordinary. Maybe it's too much to ask that we try to bring in a band that would cater to more than just one sect of people on this campus. I mean, God forbid we get a band outside of the late '90s wash-up genre, or the high-school teen-angst genre.
To me, it would just be nice to hear that there is a concert coming to Geneseo that won't fill our gym with the local high-school riff-raff or a sea of corduroys and retro glasses. Why not try to bring in a hip-hop group, a blues band or a rock band? (No, Brand New is not rock, and if you think they are, come see me and I'll give you some CDs.) If it were up to me, we would be trying to recruit some more alternative genres. Bands like Gomez, Jurassic 5, Derek Trucks Band and Moe are not extremely expensive and might attract a whole new crowd of people. It's just a shame that we can't bring in music that reflects a more diverse population of concert-goers.
Maybe I'm wrong and I'm being closed minded here, but it's hard not to be critical when the concert is being promoted as "4 20 Brand New." The title just screams, "I'm in high school!" I'm sure my 17-year-old self would be thrilled with the risqué nature of such a suggestive title. But I'm a 22-year-old senior, and I'm ready to start listening to some real music here in Geneseo.
Chris Baker
Senior