Entertainment Mailbox: Student criticizes Brand New review

03/12/09 - To the Cigar,

I am writing this letter in regards to the review of the Brand New concert that was held on Thursday, March 5, in the Ryan Center. As a member of the Student Entertainment Committee, I was saddened to hear that Libby Segal had such a horrible time at the show, but was even more hurt by her misrepresentation of the band and the more than 3,000 other people in attendance. I would like to address a few key issues in her article.

First, there were no technical difficulties at any point to my knowledge. Perhaps Ms. Segal does not normally listen to this type of music or go to this type of show, but distortion and imperfection are pretty commonplace and usually on purpose. Also, in regards to the comment that the lighting was "dull," I know I did not go to the show to be wowed by flashy lights, and I can almost guarantee you every other Brand New fan felt the same. I agree, the lighting could have been better at times, but it was not the most important part of the show.

Secondly, Ms. Segal's comment about the lyrics seeming like "annoying distracting sound added to instruments" was borderline rude. The band is famous for its lyrics and singer Jesse Lacey's often poor enunciation of them. Almost the entire audience sang along with them and if Segal could not make them out as Lacey sang, she could have just listened to the thousands of people around her. As far as the negative reference to Lacey's "screamo ballads," these moments are present in songs on the CDs as well as live, and many fans would agree the songs would not be the same without them.

Thirdly, the idea that Lacey or the rest of the band lost the crowd's attention at any time is puzzling. From where I was on the floor, everyone I could see was actively engaged in the performance. This is no small feat considering it lasted over an hour. I am not sure where Ms. Segal was sitting that she saw such a lack of enthusiasm because everyone I saw on the floor and the first two levels were on their feet the entire time.

Also, the kids attempting to mosh were not so much distracted by what Ms. Segal referred to as "Lacey's on-stage screaming," as much as by the threat of being removed by Ryan Center security. Despite this, there was a constant attempt on the part of the floor audience to mosh throughout the show that I witnessed firsthand. I am genuinely confused by Ms. Segal's assertion that the floor crowd seemed "subdued" because I feel like I must have been watching a different show.

Finally, the Akon reference toward the end was just plain confusing. Akon was an aberration as far as concerts at the Ryan Center go. It is not normal for an act to invite, without the Ryan Center or SEC's blessings or knowledge, an entire audience onto the floor. This was a large part of the reason that Ryan Center security was so heavy last Thursday, and as someone who was at the Akon show last year, I completely understand the heightened security and zero tolerance rules that were employed.

I suppose my point in writing this is to allow the fans at the show who did not see the apathetic crowd Ms. Segal saw to be able to say that we do not appreciate the chastising and rude way the article was written. I am not writing this as a representative of SEC, but as a dedicated Brand New fan who was blown away by my first experience seeing them live. In fact, after attending last Thursday's show, I was so pumped that I seriously considered driving the three-plus hours to their show Saturday at the University of New Hampshire.

In the future, I hope the Cigar attempts to assign reviews to writers who at least enjoy the genre that they are reviewing, as it does a great disservice to those who do enjoy the bands to be told what a terrible show they went to when the audience pretty clearly enjoyed itself.



Rachael Michitson