WPGU Presents: The Great Cover Up went out with a bang this past Thursday, January 19th. It was a four night event complete with amazing covers and a lot of fun. Though this years events set the bar high, who knows who will show up for The Great Cover Up next year. Below is the rundown about what happened on the fourth and final night of this years The Great Cover Up.
Isaac Arms as Failure: Issac Arms started off the night as American alternative/space rock band Failure. Playing songs from their entire collection including “Stuck On You” off their 1996 album Fantastic Planet and “Frogs” from their 1994 album Magnified. If you weren’t familiar with Failure, Arms wanted to make sure you were after this performance. Before performing an intense version of “Smoking Umbrellas,” Arms mentioned to the crowd, “You should get the records if you don’t know them; they’re quite good!” Perhaps it was the music that got everyone into the feel of this last night of The Great Cover Up, or perhaps it was the energy and excitement Isaac Arms brought with him for this performance. Before playing their last song of the night, “Undone,” Arms thanked the crowd and hoped that they’d have a great night; as the final night of The Great Cover Up, a great night is a given, but Arms kicked it off nicely.
Terminus Victor as Cheap Trick: Though it looked as though they were dressed to the nines in suits and ties, Terminus Victor, punked it up with upturned hat rims and torn up black fingerless gloves. So, the guesses were abound as to who they’d be covering, until they began to play and the name Cheap Trick popped up on the screen behind them. Lead singer and bassist Scott Kimble was singing out the lyrics to classic Cheap Trick songs such as “I Want You To Want Me,” and “Surrender,” while guitarist Don king rocked out looking like we was having as much fun as the crowd was. Speaking of the crowd, it was filled with people young and old; but when I say young, I mean kids. There were a couple of youngsters chilling by the side of the stage, which was a somewhat odd sight to see at The Highdive, but there was a reason for them being there. Isaac Arms even joined Terminus Victor on stage shaking his groove thing and getting down down with the band. As Terminus Victor geared up to deliver one of their most anticipated songs of the night, “Surrender,” a little girl joined the band on stage, grabbed a microphone and started singing with the band. Joining her Dad, Scott Kimble, on stage, the little rock-star was nervous but seemed like she was having a great time. The band finished off their set with a bang, running around on stage singing their hearts out and the crowd was doing the same.
The Dirty Feathers as The Rolling Stones: If you even remotely know of The Dirty Feathers, you know they go all out in all they do; and their set tonight would be no different. Those on stage were wearing costumes that had a sort of psychedelic feel and were wearing things that looked like bejeweled gems on their faces in an array of designs. There were also bandanas and scarves which served as accessories, for the colorful collection of band members on stage. Generally an act would start off the show by greeting the crowd or just jumping into their set, but The Dirty Feathers, who had a guest on stage as Mick Jagger, decided to do things a little differently. Jagger, complete with an accent opened up the show with a sort of monologue, then got straight to the music. The band didn’t break character at all during their set. It seemed to have become theme throughout the night, having guests join the artist on stage, and this time was no different. Kayla Brown, who had looked like she walked out of a clothing store from the 60s, joined Mick Jagger and the rest of The Stones on stage to finish off a fun performance.
Sun Stereo and The Beatles: Starting off their set with “I Am The Walrus,” Sun Stereo, as The Beatles, knew how to get the crowd into the performance. There were all sorts of instruments and performers on stage, including a go-go dancer in blue who was playing a red trombone, a sax player in a ruffled white shirt, a trumpeter, and a drummer with a mean fake stash. There was also a classical bass player sitting up right on a stool. Then there was John Lennon, who was wearing a white suit with a ruffled blue shirt underneath and signature yellow circular shaped glasses. The Highdive at this point was packed, and it felt like the room was moving from side to side, but perhaps it was just the audience swaying to the music. The last song of the set was, “Hey Jude.” Four members of the audience got on stage and helped sing the chorus, though the crowd didn’t need any guidance. Most everyone was singing and once it was over, a roar erupted over the crowd which sounded something like, “One more song! One more song!” But alas, the schedule was tight and Hot Cops had to get ready for their set.
Hot Cops as The Strokes: The energy in The Highdive could be felt pulsating through the venue and Hot Cops kept that energy up during their set as The Strokes. Everyone was on their feet dancing or at least moving to the music. As body heat rose, the songs remained intense. Perhaps the best song of the night was, “Last Nite,” which finished off the performance. During which, the guitarist threw his guitar over his head (without slamming it on the ground) and lead singer poured a beer over his head. It was a performance that kept the crowd excited and eager for more.
That’s No Moon as The Silversun Pickups: It was difficult to tell who That’s No Moon was at first as the bassist came out in a white dress and a long black wig, which had the crowd calling out guesses like Amy Winehouse and The White Stripes, but everyone quickly realized they were covering The Silversun Pickups as the bass for “Panic Switch” started up. Though That’s No Moon could have given The Silversun Pickups a run for their money, one thing that stood out about the performance was that the guitar needed to be up a bit louder. The guitar rifts didn’t have quite the power and intensity that they could have if only the levels were cranked up higher. The set included “Substitution” and “Future Foe Scenarios,” and That’s No Moon finished strong with “Lazy Eye” closing out the set.
Hathaways as KC and The Sunshine Band: It was another performance complete with crazy costumes as Hathaways took to the stage. Kate Hathaway was wearing a red bejeweled jumpsuit get up, in fact, everyone on stage was wearing some sort of bejeweled uniform. The bassist was in yellow and the guitarist was in white, however James Hathaway didn’t seem to be feeling the love as he was just wearing a normal looking jacket. Or at least, that’s what I thought until he pulled off his jacket revealing a forest green blazer underneath which was also bejeweled. Introducing themselves as KC and The Sunshine band, the Hathaways got down and boogied. KC and The Sunshine band kicked off the show with “Get Down Tonight,” and the crowd did just that, dancing in front of the stage. Even James and Kate got down and boogied it out with a set of choreographed moves. After the long set of dancing, James asked the crowd if they were ready to “Shake, shake, shake [their] booties?” The Highdive was rocking. Other highlights from their set included, “Keep It Comin’ Love,” “I’m Your Boogie Man,” and the song that finished off their set, “That’s The Way I Like It.” It was a great performance that finished off the 21st year of The Great Cover Up which was filled with fun and amazing covers.
