WPGU Presents: The Great Cover Up: Day 3

Tuesday: January 17th @ The Highdive

Tommy G as Tenacious D (9:00-9:20pm):
The Highdive, seemed unusually subdued Tuesday evening, despite it being the third night of The Great Cover Up. It was evident that that the weeknight pressures were taking a toll on attendance early on, but the audience came through the door in throngs as the night went on. However, if you didn’t show up early, you missed an amazing time. Around 9:10 p.m. it seemed strange that only a drum set and a couple of microphones were up on the stage. Even stranger yet was that you could hear the faint sound of an acoustic guitar in the distance, though it couldn’t be traced to a particular place; that is until Tommy G, as Tenacious D, walked through the crowd toward the stage with guitars in hand, strumming along. The duo got on stage and guaranteed to rock our minds. Not only did they have rousing renditions of “Fuck Her Gently” and “Tribute” among others, but there was playful banter and stories in between sets which kept the audience entertained. At one point, Black even fired Gass from the band, but was quick to hire him back after he realized he couldn’t do it alone. Overall, a fun set that kicked off the night with laughs and plenty of rock.

Electric Bitters as TV On The Radio (9:35-9:55pm):
Electric Bitters came out as the group TV On The Radio, complete with thick rimmed black glasses. That is, the main singer of each song throughout the set was wearing a pair of those exact glasses as they performed. One of the best things about this set, apart from covers which included “Will Do,” was perhaps the fact that each member got their chance to shine whether it was on the microphone or via a solo.

Evil Tents as Beck (10:10-10:30pm):
Occasionally, it is difficult to tell who a band is covering at The Great Cover Up. Perhaps you just aren’t familiar with that particular artist, but regardless a screen behind the bands are generally your saving grace that tells you the bands name. And this was once again the case as Evil Tents took to a stage filled with strategically placed flourescent bulbs of different colors facing the audience. An image of Beck’s Sea Change flickered on behind the band and the crowd went wild. The atmosphere throughout the venue felt simpler, less complicated. It was as if the crowd took a chill pill, but was still somehow completely focused on every movement happening on stage and the words pounding through the speakers.

Jet W Lee as LCD Soundsystem (10:45-10:05pm):
Jet W Lee, walked onto the stage with sneakers tied and head held high, ready to entertain. Kicking off his set with, “Daft Punk is Playing at My House,” Jet W Lee pumped an energy through the crowd that had them dancing. The set included “Sound of Silver,” “I Can Change,” and “North American Scum.” The set ended with a bang as Jet W Lee finished off the show with “Drunk Girls.”

Scurvine as Helmet (11:20-11:40pm):
As members of Scruvine walked to the stage to set up the equipment, some likely had no idea what to expect; most of them looking like your regular Joe Schmo, in jeans and a baggie shirt. Though, it’s amazing how perceptions about a band can change once the music kicks in. Starting off the set was a rousing guitar/drum combination filled with intensity, that left the crowd with a beat that they could head bang to. Even if you had never heard of Helmet, it was easy to get into the show. It was almost as if the beat crept into your soul and wouldn’t leave until you danced or at least moved a little from side to side. With songs such as the intense, hard hitting “Ironhead” and “Distracted” the performance didn’t slow. However, there happened to be some miscommunication among band members when drummer, Jason Milam, began to play while his band mates obviously weren’t on the same page or vice versa. In any case, the problem was quickly resolved, some laughs were had and the show went on. To finish the show off, lead singer, took a knee, began (or pretended) to punch the floor, then threw his fist into the air finishing off their performance.

Midstress/CUCollective as The Specials (11:55-12:15am):
According to their facebook page, Midstress/CU Collective had “BIG plans for the 21st Great Cover Up this year,” and it showed. A collection of people filled the stage; some with brass instruments and others with stringed instruments, but all looked classy. Dressed for the occasion, Midstress/CU Collective, or should I say The Specials, were all in some form of formal black and white attire. The first instant the band broke out into song, groups of people began to skank on the dance floor (for those of you who may not know skanking is a form of dance, if you aren’t familiar, check out the Urban Dictionary’s definition. While performing BIG hits such as “Monkey Man” and “Rat Race,” The Specials still had the ability to skank and jump around like those standing in the crowd before them. So, as you can guess, by the end of their performance, members of the crowd made it up to the stage to dance with the band that had them doing a jig.

Roberta Sparrow as The Lawrence Arms (12:35-1:00am)
Roberta Sparrow, aka (for the purposes of The Great Cover Up) The Lawrence Arms, took to the stage a little later than anticipated, but we’re having fun as they were getting ready. You know it’ll be an interesting show when members of the band are taking shots during air checks. After they were satisfied with their levels, The Lawrence Arms realized that they had yet to be properly introduced. So, they walked off stage and waited until the fog machines kicked in to actually start the show in true rocker style. After running back on stage, they greeted the crowd and kicked into the show. It was a performance with a hard edge, complete with drinking breaks. At one point during the show, one of the members of the trio said “If you’re not drunk yet, we’re picking up the slack.” Though the crowd before the stage was a bit smaller than it had been the previous nights, it filled the room with just as much energy…if not more. The extra room allowed for people to crowd surf, drink, and be merry. Roberta Sparrow was calling on folks to come up to the stage, if they so chose and some decided to. Even one of our previous On-Air personalities, Grego, hit the stage to serve as a backup vocalist, while plenty more hit the stage just to have a good time. If “The Devil’s Takin’ Names,” then everyone in attendance was now on his list.

About Aubrey Morse

(Production Director) Hey Y'all. The name is Aubrey Morse and I am not from the south, though people I say I have a southern drawl. I was actually born and raised here in the cornfields of East Central Illinois....REPRESENT. I love music of all sorts, enjoy sports, and I do band. One of my favorite past times is gettting up super early and getting your morning started off right. Oh, and I run on rainbows and caffeine. Best!

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