One hundred people came to watch Lovedrug perform in McInnis auditorium for the second consecutive year, with the music of Bang Bang Beautiful kicking off the night.
Formed in June 2002, Lovedrug consists of four members who “have a passion to play music, anytime, anywhere,” said guitarist and back-up vocalist David Owen.
“I was excited to come back,” Owen added. “Eastern has always treated us great.”
The crowd shared Owen’s sentiment about Lovedrug coming back and playing.
“I’ve been excited about the show since flyers were first posted,” first-year Brian Campbell said. Campbell, who already was a fan and owned Lovedrug’s CD, described their unique and fresh music as “emotionally-driven rock, with quality lyrics, that is generally uplifting.”
At the show, held on November 29, Listeners obviously felt the positive vibe from Lovedrug as almost half the crowd sprang to their feet and made their way to the front of the stage before Lovedrug played their first song.
Bang Bang Beautiful’s music, which opened with a five song set, had a punkier edge.
Some were upset with the relatively quiet crowd reaction at Lovedrug’s performance last year, but Owen said that in most colleges the crowds are not always sure what to do.
“Kids don’t know how to react all the time. Having a rock band play where you usually have lectures is a different kind of situation,” Owen said.
Sophomore Stephanie Connell felt that the enthusiasm level could have been higher during this year’s performance.
“Lovedrug is really great in concert, but I felt like most of the crowd wasn’t into it, the crowd could have showed more energy,” she said.
Campbell echoed Owen’s thoughts on playing in a school setting.
“Lovedrug played well and they were well-received. The migration to the front was especially meaningful in a theater-style set up, which generally inspires people to sit and chill,” Campbell said.
Though the crowd’s response was more enthusiastic than at last year’s performance, the audience was smaller.
“Based on last year’s concert, I was expecting 125 to 150 people, so I was slightly disappointed with this year’s turnout; but it was a rainy night,” said junior Taylor Talley, who helped get Lovedrug to Eastern this year through the Student Activities Board.
The concert might have created more of a stir if Lovedrug played in the gym on a weekend night, but overall Owen saw the performance as “a solid gig.”
Concerning a future concert at Eastern, Owen said, “I really like Eastern and we would be honored to come back.”