Notre Dame has concerts

This is the first in a ten-part series on my favorite shows that have come to Notre Dame between Fall 2003-Spring 2007.

10. Chin Up Chin Up, Kidbootz: Legends, Fall 2006

Really skeptical about how things would turn out, given the weather conditions of South Bend Decembers and the timing of a concert just before exam week, but this turned out to be a decent concert. Joshua et al. rocked the stage in a post-Rutabega mini-set of all original material, and Chicago's CUCU played a solid combination of music from both of their albums.

I kinda remember the weather being really cold and snowy, but a lot of people still came to check it out--and hopefully enjoyed it. There was little competition from other events that night--maybe a crappy bowl game or conference championship on TV, but that was it.

I waited on the guys from both bands on their Legends dinner orders. Vegetarian pasta dishes were popular, not much of a surprise. One guy ordered a rack of ribs, but I'm pretty sure he didn't even get to them with the sound checking running late. There was a strange moment during the concert where the kickdrum produced this sound that I often associate with colored bars on a television screen. It gave the percussion an extra underwritten character when the rest of the music carried enough personality to be a contestant on Deal or No Deal.

As expected, Chin Up x2 commented on the alcohol policy--an event which has really become mundane at the WVFI shows. Perhaps we can write, in addition to the no-alcohol policy, a "no discussion of the no-alcohol policy" policy. Bands usually don't mind when you restrict them.

Overall the show was much higher than my expectations. Good turnout, great performance, and the guys in both bands were splendid.