On Sunday April 13th from 6:00pm – midnight, the UMass University Programming Council (UPC) hosted their annual Spring Concert. This year’s Spring Concert, referred to as #SC14, featured performances by LuieGo x eGOmainiAKS, Run River Run, Slightly Stoopid, Goo Goo Dolls, and Wale.
Before the show, Sophomore and UPC Executive Coordinator of Promotions, Zach Weinstein, told us the most difficult part of planning Spring Concert was, “getting the actual performers here, because we compete with Coachella.”
However, they were successful in getting these five artists to UMass for an amazing show, which all seemed to enjoy immensely. Sophomore, Cheyanne Hanneman said she was, “most excited to see the Goo Goo Dolls because [she] knew them the most out of all the performers.”
The show kicked off with Battle of the Bands Online Takeover winners, LuieGo x eGOmainiAKS, who won with over 1.1k votes against four other contestants. The group is comprised of students aged 17-22 whom all grew up in Amherst (the “AKS” stands for Amherst Kids): Luie Fernandez (Vocals), Myles Darby (Bass), Eric Yelle (Guitar), and Noah Cohen-Corbet (Drums).
Although this was not the most prestigious venue the group has played at (they recently did a show at the Apollo Theater), “it was definitely the biggest,” said Fernandez.
Additionally, even though they have only been performing together since January, they have already played at events such as Mt. Holyoke Spring Concert; Hampshire Halloween; an ADP fundraiser; and a Man of Color show. They also have several shows coming up in the near future including opening up for Turquoise Jeep this Friday April 18th at Pearl Street and on May 1st opening up for Sage the Gemini at Divas Night Club!
Next in the lineup was the second opener, a group that the Goo Goo Dolls have on tour with them called Run River North, an alternative/indie band out of California. The group, comprised of Alex Hwang (Vocals/Acoustic Guitar), Daniel Chae (Electric Guitar/Violin), Jennifer Rim (Violin), Joseph Chun (Bass), John Chong (Drums), and Sally Kang (Vocals/Keys) provided a very unique sound to the lineup, really bringing the variety of genres full circle. They even Tweeted this awesome picture to us and Retweeted one of our photos!
The first headliner to the stage was the band everyone knows and can boogie to, Slightly Stoopid, from Ocean Beach, CA. They brought a trippy backdrop and featured some ambient mood lighting that helped set the tone for their reggae/rock/blues tunes. The band, which has been together since 1995, features, Karl Denson (Sax), Miles Doughty (Guitar), Kyle McDonald (Guitar), Ryan Moran (Drums), Oguer Ocon (Percussion), Paul Wolstencroft (Keyboard), DeLa (Sax), and C-Money (Trumpet).
Next to the stage was the overwhelming crowd favorite, the Goo Goo Dolls, from Buffalo, NY. Another oldie, the band has been performing since 1985, and played all of their hits from the past thirty years including “Iris,” “Slide,” “Come To Me,” and “Name.” The legendary rock band featured performers John Rzeznik (Vocals/Guitar), Robby Takac (Bass), and Mike Malinin (Drums).
Finally, the show concluded with a performance by Olubowale Victor Akintimehin, better known by his stage name, Wale, a rapper from Washington D.C., who is best known for his hit “Lotus Flower Bomb” (2011).
Check out our live coverage from #SC14 on Twitter!