Despite long waits between musical acts, event organizers consider last Fridays fourth annual Cage Rage concert, featuring indie band Grouplove, a success.
The sold-out show, held in Cousens Gymnasiums Carzo Cage, came to Tufts as part of the Campus Consciousness Tour, according to Concert Board co-chairs Mark Bernardo and Julia Stein. Students also enjoyed performances by electronic music duo The Knocks and alternative rock and pop band Saints of Valory before Grouplove took the stage.
Cage Rage this year was definitely a success, Stein, a junior, said. Everyone was raving about it, and when we chatted with Grouplove afterwards, they said Tufts was their favorite show of the tour.
In total, this years Cage Rage sold 1,350 tickets to Tufts students and their guests, according to Bernardo.
Tufts didnt just sell out, Bernardo, a junior, said. We also added a hundred more tickets to the initial tickets, and those sold out too.
He believed people responded well to Grouplove because of the familiarity of the band.
Im really happy that everyone had fun, Bernardo said. Last years show wasnt as lively, and there were a lot less people. This year there were more people, which was more fun, and everyone was just dancing and raging and it was great.
Event attendees like sophomore Evelyn Kim shared the Concert Boards enthusiasm about the show but commented on the long wait between the music acts.
I thought Cage Rage was really awesome and a definite improvement from last year, but the show was a bit long, Kim said.
Stein acknowledged that she had heard criticism about the concerts length but added that she wouldnt change anything.
We had a good two different genres of music, and Grouplove was just super fun, she said. Hannah [Hooper], the lead singer, had bronchitis but was a trooper and performed anyway. If the only complaint was that the show was long, then this was definitely a success.
According to Bernardo, Concert Board implemented major changes to this years concert layout.
Instead of having the stage right in front of you when you walk in, it was on the left so the space seemed smaller, he explained.
The smaller space made the concert area more intimate, Bernardo said. While last years event also drew around 1,000 students, the setup of the stage made the concert space seem very empty, he explained.
According to the Cage Rage event page on Facebook, the Campus Consciousness Tour aims to educate and mobilize students about environmental issues in an electric music atmosphere.
Eco-Reps from Tufts and student volunteers helped to staff booths at an Eco-Village that promoted environmental consciousness, Stein said. They broke down before Grouplove went on, but up until then, it was a good balance between people jamming to music and people learning about the environment.
Planning for the tour began last May, and according to Stein, the choice to invite Grouplove was an easy one.
Both co-chairs expressed their appreciation for their 50-member Concert Board as well as other individuals who worked with students to make Cage Rage happen.
Now were getting ready for planning for Spring Fling, Bernardo said. But I still have that post-concert glow.
