THURSDAY,MARCH 27,2003
MUSIC
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 5
Bands to perform at Union's Ballroom
By Beth Braunsdorf
bbraunsdorf@kansan.com
Jayplay staff writer
Many native Kansans are likely to have older family members or friends who went to the University of Kansas. They talk about the days of cheap beer, protests and Larry Brown.
They also might mention the crazy time they had when they saw Nirvana play at the Kansas Union Ballroom. That's right, before the Lied Center was erected in 1993, the ballroom hosted concerts.
This Sunday, it will once again play host to new faces in music, and it will mark a new start of ballroom shows. It will give the opportunity for students of today to
experience what went on in the ballroom 20 years ago.
The Advanced Warning Tour starts at 7 p.m. Sunday. Bands playing are Mooney Suzuki, The Raveonettes, Longwave and Whitelight Motorcade. Sponsors include Student Union Activities, CMJ and MTV-2. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased in the SUA office on the fourth floor in the Kansas Union.
At the University, the shows were put on with help from SUA. Meghan McClain, St. Louis junior, is the live music coordinator for SUA. McClain said a majority of the past ballroom shows were in the 1980s.
"The bands performing were touring to get noticed and promote themselves," McClaim said.
With help from McClain, here's a review of some shows that made it to the ballroom.
Before his death in 1981, Rasta man Bob Marley made his way to the ballroom. And when the punk rock group Black Flag came to town, its new style of music made for pushing back the stage and mosh pits.
One man McClain talked to said Fishbone and Primus were the best live shows the University had ever seen. Both shows took place in the late 1980s. Even the L.A. Guns show (band right before Guns N' Roses) rocked the ballroom. A young teen girl was said to have gotten on the tour bus, for what sounded like a finish to a crazy and wild night.
The groups Nirvana and Elastica played at the ballroom in the '90s. About the same time as Elastica, the Violent Femmes stopped by for a show.
Not every ballroom show was a hit. McClain said when Public Enemy came through, group members supposedly were rude and insulting, which made the University decide to never ask the band back. McClain said Public Enemy was here about the time when President Bush senior was elected. Public Enemy told the crowd not to vote in the upcoming election, which caused some mild chaos.
To find out more, check out www.suaevents.com, or call 864-SHOW.
— Edited by Julie Jantzer