Written by: Laura Blasey
Following the successful Mac Miller concert in September, Student Entertainment Events (SEE) announced that indie-rock band Ra Ra Riot will headline the fall concert, with local rapper Logic opening.
Coming out of Syracuse, N.Y., Ra Ra Riot is well known in the alternative music community for their energetic shows and use of unconventional instruments, like an electric violin and cello. In 2008, SPIN Magazine’s Peter Gaston called the group “one of the best young bands we’ve heard in a really long time.”
The band is closely tied with the likes of Vampire Weekend and Death Cab For Cutie, with DCFC’s Chris Walla mixing nine of the 10 tracks on Ra Ra Riot’s most recent album, The Orchard.
However, it is their up-and-coming status that has left some students worried. When this article went to print, tickets to the show were still available.
“To be honest, I have no idea who Ra Ra Riot is,” senior criminology major Kim Fullum said.
Others, like sophomore fire protection engineering major Steve Ernst, needed to do a little research before making the decision to buy tickets.
“I had heard of Ra Ra Riot before but never checked out their music, so when I heard that they were coming to campus, I checked them out and now I’m really excited to see them,” he commented.
But while Ra Ra Riot isn’t universally known (yet), students who do know and love the band are thrilled to have them come to College Park.
Freshman music education and vocal performance major Michael Brisentine said, “I know they’re gosh-darn good, and I’m psyched for everyone else to learn about them!”
“I think it was a good choice because they are a really good band,” freshman journalism major Jessica Wiley added. “I haven’t seen them before, but I’m sure it will be a good show. They seem like the kind of band that would put on a really fun live performance.”
