Arriving at the LC Pavillion in downtown Columbus around 7:30 last night, Skaters was soon to hit the stage. We stood in the freezing sleet waiting for a bus, but once we were inside the LC, it was completely worth it. We were in for a fun but interesting night at CD 102.5 Day Side A.
The crowd inside was much different than expected. Many adults were scattered throughout the pit and the surrounding area, while college students tried to get as close as possible to the stage. Last time Grouplove came to town (this past fall), the crowd was much younger and lively. This time, the crowd was less into the music in general, which was somewhat disappointing. During the sets there were a few obnoxious women trying to talk over the bands playing, which made me wonder if they were really there for the music or if they were merely treating it as a social event. This was potentially due to the fact that tickets were only $5, so people that might not have known much about Grouplove, Ms Mr, Skaters, or the Orwells were in attendance.
The hosts from CD 102.5 came on stage as we walked into the pit, announcing that Skaters would come on soon. The lights went off, and the young band from New York City took the stage. Although the crowd didn’t seem too into them, they played an excellent set made up of tunes from their recent debut album Manhattan. Drinking Budweisers heavily during the set, the band exuded relaxed vibes as they tore through fast, dancy garage rock. The band played for about 35 minutes and seemed to be having fun at their first show ever in Columbus.
Next up, after another CD 102.5 host announced MS MR. I had not heard any music by this band before, but I was pleasantly astounded at how powerful they sounded live. The first couple songs were decent, but the show really picked up at the third. The band rendered a version of Arctic Monkey’s current radio smash “Do I Wanna Know?” and got the crowd involved in the show by encouraging vocal help. After this, they played three excellent songs. The first, “Think of You,” including part of LCD Soundsystem’s “Dance Yrself Clean,” where the band showed versatility in a jammed-out version of the classic track. The second was “Ash Tree Lane,” and they played their most popular tune, “Hurricane,” to close out the set. Overall, the band was confident, having fun while still maintaining a mysterious air on stage to compliment their soaring music.
This is where the night was cut short in a strange turn of events that left the crowd in a state of disbelief. After about 15 minutes of watching the crew tear down MS MR’s set, I wondered why Grouplove’s s equipment was not being set up. It was almost ten o ‘clock, and the band would need to start playing soon in order to end the show at a decent hour. As soon as I started to become suspicious that something was wrong, the hosts of the show came on stage again, this time with bad news. They explained that Christian, the lead singer of Grouplove, had been ill in bed all day and was physically unable to perform. They unfortunately informed the crowd that Grouplove would not play as scheduled, so the show was over. However, they assured everyone that the band would be back in the fall, and every person with a ticket to tonight’s show would be able to get in for free. At first, no one moved; they seemed to think this was some sort of joke. As the house lights came on, however, the crowd realized that the band was not coming back on, and with a few scattered “boos” they left the venue. After we walked out of the pit, we met the Skaters singer at the merch table, and he was even more laid back than he was on stage. We talked for a couple minutes and then left to find a taxi home. Obviously the fact that Grouplove didn’t play was frustrating, but the two bands we saw were excellent and totally worth the $16 we spent on tickets the day of the show. CD 102.5 did a great job with the event in general despite the fact that the headliner was unable to perform, which was beyond their control.
Side Note: The Orwells and a local Columbus singer/songwriter Mary Lynn also performed, but we got to the show after they had already played.
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