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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 1992)
• Arts$Entertainment ‘Blossoms’ bolster music amid mainstream MTV fans rally to Toad, impartial to opening band By Laura Ray Staff Reporter About 1,1 (X) tickets were sold for Sunday’s Toad the Wet Sprocket and Gin Blossoms show at Omaha’s Peony Park. More than one-half of the tickets were sold to star-struck MTV teens who chanted to “All I Want,’’ and a few other songs off Toad the Wet , Sprocket’s “Fear.” Fewer fans knew the songs from the five live songs that were attached to later sales of the album. A dwin dling few knew anything from “Pale.” Mostly Toad the Wet Sprocket catered to the “Fear’.’ crowd, minus _i_ “Cinnamon Girl ” in the encore set. Glen Phillips, lead singer of Toad the Wet Sprocket, said that having the album out for a year made it old for them. It was a “pleasant surprise” hear ing it on the radio, he said, but it “really didn’t make that much of a difference” to the band. It didn’t slop Phillips from turning off the radio the first time he heard the song, he said. It’s dil licult to be the opening act, - the Gin Blossoms agreed. It’s loo bad that the quality of the songs doesn’t matter as much as singles sales. The Gin Blossoms opened with a _jBSBKKEb Jody Price/DN Jesse Valenzuela and Robin Wilson of the Gin Blossoms wrestle with fatigue after driving from Cheyenne, Wyo., to Omaha’s Peony Park for their Sunday performance where they opened for Toad the Wet Sprocket. tight instrumental and moved into “Ms. Rita.” While it is true that sweet and jungly applied to “Up and Crum bling,” it doesn’t work with lhcir“New Miserable Experience” album. “New Miserable Experience” has a much harder sound. As lead singer Robin Wilson said, “(It) rocks out.” The difference between 30,000 record sales and half a million is the number of people who crowd around a band. Band members Wilson, Phillip Rhodes (drummer), Bill Leen (bass ist), Scott Johnson (guitarist), and their road manager gathered on the steps between the bar and the stage. Jesse Valenzuela, guitarist and vocalist, was busy practicing in the back. People were stepping over and walking past them before the show. But, when the Gin Blossoms got on stage and Wilson yelled, “We’re the opening act,” everyone in the audi ence screamed. Later, when the band members introduced themselves, the audience didn’t applaud very loudly. There are problems with traveling in a “beat up Dodge van,” said Wil son, who tried to sell the van from the stage. Especially compared to the main act who travels in a huge bus. The first thing that the Gin Blos soms were looking for when they got off the van was a shower. Discriminating between townsand hotel rooms is hard, the band mem bers agreed. It’s easy to get lost. Lccn said he called his room once from the lobby to ask directions. Although things have improved since A&M Records signed them, it’s still a matter of passing the lime play ing Gamcboy, reading Steinbeck and making up “Saturday Night Live” skits between shows. Someday fans may be crowded around the Gin B lossoms bus scream - ing for autographs. But right now, the band must be content with drinking Budwciscr instead of the Hcincken thatToad the Wet Sprockctgcts back stage. “Working the crowd, talking to people, sells a lot more records than interviews do,” Wilson said before the show. It’s loo bad the Billboard charts mean so much to teenage minds. The Gin Blossoms’ sound packs a wallop that a hit video could never repro duce. Waiting for voters’ registration prompts reverie, political notes 1 registered to vote last Friday. It was the last day to do so, and I should have known better. I went to the Election Commission Office Thursday but left when I saw the line of people stretching out the door and well into the parking lot. My plans for an early morning arrival on Friday fell to the need for sleep, so I pulled in at a leisurely 3 p.m. and met a line even longer than that of the prior day. Despite vague threats of rain, it was a beautiful day, so J joined the line. After a lew minutes of people watching, I pulled out a novel and settled in for the wait. There was indeed a surprisingly large number ol people in line, and they just kept com ing. Several earfuls drove past and groaned loudly, but most circled and parked despite their misgivings. The media have been full of news about record numbers of people regis tering to vole — especially young folks. This is fine, but I did wish they had more foresight than myself. I thought about scenes from the news depicting 1 ines of eager voters in countries across the globe. I thought also of the common notion that Ameri can youths arc apathetic and unmotivated, and was glad lobe in the long line after all. Even so, I found myself thinking about trying to find groups of people whose votes would cancel themselves out in a couple of weeks. Each trio of Bush, Clinton and Perot supporters who might leave the line would bring me that much closer to the building. Toward thisend I stepped back and yelled “Straw Poll” to those nearest me in line. “How many people arc here for Bush?” I asked, receiving a few tentative nods and many cold stares. “OK, how many for Clinton?” A few shy hands were raised, and more cold starcsdircc led toward me. Things were the same regarding Perot. I did not think my linc-shrinkmg proposal would go over much belter, but by that time the line had begun approaching the door with increasing acceleration. I nearly had to sprint the last few yards. Once inside, things went quite quickly, and I.cvcn recognized a few people I knew — themselves reading booksandglancing at watches. I could only laugh when a woman at a desk told someone on the phone that any one could register who made it into the line by 6 p.m. The line was longer yet when I stepped out of the building. It was filled with young people, many of them in groups. Perhaps it was better that everyone was in line, even if the votes would be evenly split among candidates, for the sheer magnitude of our numbers rep resented something beyond the indi vidual votes themselves. My reverie was disturbed as a car look the comer behind me at about 1 ,(XX) mph and slammed on its brakes as I pulled out. A man without a shirt leaned per ilously far out of his window, cursing and Hipping me off as the car pulled up next to me and followed for a block. Scenes of election-day violence in other countries came to mind, and I thought of how much more serious a matter voting is in other countries. I wondered if the two men had also come to register to vote and for whom they would cast ballots, and whether they might be hired thugs in another country. Then I decided they were probably just excited about the chance to vote and wanted to get into line quickly. Bryan Peterson is a senior Knglish, phi losophy and psychology major and a Daily Nebraskan arts and entertainment reporter. enlfi^SSmenl Political Dance Brigade lampoons Columbus From Staff Reports The politically oriented Dance Brigade, from Oakland, Calif., will present “Goodbye Columbus” 7 p.m. v. J today in the Nebraska Union Centen nial Ballroom. The work is a multicultural state ment about the last five centuries in American history presented by a mul tiracial cast of dancers and musicians. The program is structured with a series of dance suites that represent the last 5(X) ycarsjof American history as seen from the pcrspcclivcof people who arc discriminated against — es pecially women. The dancing will be accompanied by Native American poetry, African American drumming and Asian American storytelling. Solodanccs wi 11 be woven through out the dance suites and will trace the transformation of the indigenous, pro Aztec earth goddess Coallilcuc into La Llorona, the Christian Virgen dc Guadalupe, and finally a Latina child of the barrio. The dance lamptxms the explorer Christopher Columbus, who will ap pear swinging like Tar/an and lip synching during military briefings. There is no charge for students with identification. General admis sion is S3. Breathtaking animated film released by Disney By Anne Steyer Staff Reporter_ “Beauty and the Beast” Disney’s latest instant animated classic comes home to video this week in a flurry of discounts and merchandising. As the first animated film ever nominated for Best Picture by the Academy Awards, “Beauty and the Beast’’ is a triumph for Disney ani mators. It blends the best of traditional animation with the high-tech qual ity of computer graph ics. The over all look of the film is wonderful, but the dancing scene in the Beast’s ballroom is breathtaking. In many ways, this is a Disney film that is better suited for adults than children, despite the toy and clothing mass-merchandising sanc tioned by the movie studio. It’s a ’90s love story with a very old-fashioned moral: You can’t judge a book by its cover. But the characters arc much more compli cated and adult-oriented than Disney characters of the past. . Belle, the beauty of the title, is a grown-up heroine who is more in terested in reading than meaty men. She stands up for herself and has little quirks that make her a real character— from pushing her hair from her face, to twisting her pin kie in nervousness. Likewise, the Beast is a compli cated character. He’s tortured and frightened, but gentle and surpris ingly loving. His relationship with Belle allows his true colors to sur V/ JHw Bnan Shellito/DN face and when they do, he is irre sistible. The supporting cast of players is charming as well. Gaston, a big, hairy, gorgeous bully who is out to win Belle, is hilarious. So arc Lumicrc, a singing, danc ing and romancing candlestick, and Cogsworth, a proper British mantle clock who fancies himself the but ler. Add to them Mrs. Polls and her son, Chip, the teapot and teacup, and the ensemble is perfect. Ofcoursc.no Disney film would be complete without music. The award-winning team from “The Little Mermaid,” Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, joined together to create the Oscar-win ning score and many memorable songs, including the title track. "Beauty and the Beast” is 90 minutes of pure pleasure — don’t miss it. (Available 10/28)
