Night on the Hill / Hipster Concert Review of the Week / Busker Festival Coverage Begins

One of Larryville's most legendary events occured in 1992, when the free campus concert series known then as "Day on the Hill" brought to town a little on-the-verge rock band called Pearl Jam, attracting an estimated 16,000 people. It's become an event that nearly every Larryville resident claims to have attended (even Richard, who believes that Pearl Jam has always been overrated and who didn't actually move to Larryville until many years later).

Like most great events, the quality has steadily declined over the years and the event is now barely noticed and rarely occurs during the day or on the actual "Hill" because "the Man" doesn't like students trampling on the grass. But this year the event has managed to book an interesting act, a little on-the-verge electro-indie act known as Passion Pit, the kind of band that would easily attract local hipsters if they were playing at a venue where PBR was allowed but will now likely only attract a few cool kids and some bewildered frat boys.

In a very positive review (8.1), Pitchfork says that Passion Pit's new album, Manners, is "every bit as likely to bring to mind a successful night out with friends, or the party where you finally got to talk to that person you've been eying all semester. The video for "The Reeling" certainly helps with that visualization, but in a manner similar to layers of faux-flesh being peeled off Angelakos' face, the cracked-up lyrics themselves ache for some sort of connection after realizing the futility of physical and emotional bunkers."

Cl.thier: "As a poet, I'm usually opposed to violence, at least off of the soccer field, yet I'd like to punch every Pitchfork reviewer right in the nose."

The show has been moved to the Lied Center due to rain. See you on the dance floor.

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Hipster-favorites Los Campesinos! recently returned to the area (KC's Record Bar) and the Pitch's Wayward Blog had a reviewer on the scene. The following sentence from the review tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the ridiculousness of hipster life:

"However, all it took was the opening synth melody from "This is How You Spell 'Ha Ha Ha We Destroyed the Hopes and the Dreams of a Generation of Faux-Romantics'" to get me jumping and singing along."

No further commentary needed here.


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On the horizon is the second annual Lawrence Busker Festival this weekend. Are the boys excited?

Chip: "Obviously, I'm in the minority here, but I just don't think it's a wise idea for a city in the middle of its worst-ever crimewave to willingly allow this bunch of nomadic con artists into town for the weekend. Even more troubling is that a number of 'kids' workshops' are being held at the Lawrence Arts Center to instruct children in the tricks of the trade. Only in Larryville would parents teach their children how to grow up to be grifters."

Richard: "I'd rather my kids grew up to be fire-eaters than, let's say, lawyers. This is a nice event."