Rockhurst Sentinel

Media Credit: Brian Roewe Plain White T's took stage inside the Convocation Center.

Rockstock went off without a hitch this past Saturday, As Plain White T’s headlined. Though the crowd started out small, it quickly gained in numbers and momentum, and many left the concert satisfied.

It is no wonder why Rockstock is during the last weekend before exams. The whole point is to give students a chance to let loose and relax without having to worry about the impending exam schedule. To further this, after the last two extremely mellow Rockstock acts, Sister Hazel and Ben Lee, the Student Activities Board ensured that they got an energetic rock band, Plain White Ts to headline.        

Hot Chelle Rae started the concert off with an energetic set with Treaty of Paris following them up with an even more energetic and fast-paced set, chock full of their pop-punk anthems. Finally, Plain White Ts took the stage in their three-part set. 

The first part was a full band effort that got the crowd’s attention. The second portion was a more intimate affair with the band going acoustic only to go back to full band for their third part. 

Yet, despite the noticeably larger crowd than that had been at the previous concerts, there were still those left unsatisfied. I myself disliked the concert and find Plain White T’s to be way too poppy and severely lacking in substance, anybody remember my op-ed about downloading and artists vs. entertainers? 

However, I will admit that they put on a good performance.

What many should know is that most likely, your favorite band will never come to Rockstock. I will never see the Starting Line or Say Anything on Lower Bourke, and my roommate, Bill, will never see 311. Mark Bruce, a freshman, will never see Alesana and Steve Garcia, a graduating senior, never got to see Thrice. The point that I am getting at is that it is hard to please every single student at this school as far as Rockstock goes.

But aside from the bad Rockstocks, there have been some good ones. In recent years, Rockstock has hosted Sugarcult, Ludo, and now Plain White Ts. These are not quite on the same level as Sister Hazel and it should be said that SAB did a fairly good job on finding a musical group that a larger majority could enjoy. In fact, considering how many people talked bad about Plain White Ts, I am surprised the crowd was as big as it was.

The simple fact is that Plain White Ts were a larger band that not only could SAB afford, but they were in the area as well. Bands on tour either have no money and travel in a van, or pay way too much for an inefficient bus and don’t have money to zip around the country. 

Their tours are carefully calculated and planned so that they can play as many shows in a specific area before moving on. 

Least we forget the fact that they have sold millions of records worldwide and have been nominated for a Grammy. 

The best thing to do if you hate these concerts is really to just grin and bear it.  Joining SAB won’t change the situation; you most likely won’t have enough pull to get your favorite band here and you’ll have to listen to people complain about the bands you helped choose.

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