The media at Ferris has been taken by storm over the release of Lupe Fiasco headlining Music Takes Action, the title music event held at Ferris State.
Students were disappointed with the event held last spring. The now defunct Ferris Fest was moved inside the Wink Arena due to threat of rain. Students were already disappointed over the selections of Big KRIT and Mayer Hawthorne and were even more irritated when the festival was held indoors on a warm sunny day.
This year should be a drastic turnaround. As you may know, Entertainment Unlimited’s (EU) event was renamed to Music Takes Action and will raise money for Musicians On Call through merchandise sales and a fundraiser. The stage will also be moved back to the North Quad.
Although not all students will be thrilled with the selection of Lupe, many students, and myself, have good feelings for this semester’s festival.
I did not attend the show last year because of the headliners and the fact that it was held inside, but I am stoked to see Lupe live. He has been an artist that I’ve occasionally played since I first heard “Kick, Push” during my freshman year of high school. I would love for him to play his hit, “The Show Goes On,” which was written by members of indie rock band Modest Mouse. The melody is based on MM’s most popular hit, “Float On.” The line “And we’ll all float on alright,” in “Float On” is transformed into “Alright, already the show goes on all night” in “The Show Goes On.”
Cheer Team President and junior Alexis Areeda was part of the large consensus dissatisfied with the event last spring; “Last year I did not go because I did not know the artists playing or had any desire to go to a concert inside.”
Tyler Smith, president of Professional Golf Management Student Association and diverse music fanatic stated, “Lupe has collaborated with many artists that I listen to frequently. He brings something different to the stage and should connect with the student well.” Smith expects the attendance to be up this year.
Another PGM major and avid hip hop music listener Dustin Darling became ecstatic when I told him the news of Lupe coming to campus. He immediately declared out loud, “‘Kick, Push’ changed my life.” Darling added, “I hope he plays songs off of ‘Laser.’ To me, the album focuses on soul searching and personal moral, qualities of music I enjoy.”
Stay tuned for EU’s upcoming release of supporting performers.