For UCLA students who expect college to rock their socks off,
they’ve come to the right place. UCLA’s Campus Events
commission has a whole year of free on-campus concerts lined up to
perform on every corner of campus. From the Bad Religion show in
Pauley Pavilion which kicked off last year’s Welcome Week to
intimate acoustic moments in Kerckhoff Grand Salon with Phil Elvrum
of Mount Eerie, UCLA always has a wide range of the best
up-and-coming bands. Coupled with a variety of times and venues,
students should have no trouble satisfying their musical needs.
“Last year we used four different venues,” said
Campus Events staff member Daniel Lopez. “The Cooperage,
Bruin Plaza, Kerckhoff Grand Salon and Ackerman Grand
Ballroom.”
Each venue has a distinct atmosphere and style. The Cooperage,
commonly referred to as the Coop, is a pizza place in the A-Level
of Ackerman Union, with tables and a small stage that provides for
the excitement and energy of a Los Angeles club. Ackerman Grand
Ball Room offers an expansion to concert-hall size, while Kerckhoff
Grand Salon is characterized by the warmth and quiet of the
neighboring coffee shop. Bruin Plaza is in the heart of campus and
plays host to outdoor afternoon shows. While Bruin Plaza and the
Cooperage are the most common concert sites, each of the venues is
worth exploring.
“The Grand Salon is a great venue that’s under used,
but it’s a little harder to find. We had Matt Sharp (the
former Weezer bassist) play there a few weeks ago,” said
Lopez.
One of last year’s highlights was a last-minute show there
by Phil Elvrum, whose performance was so good that the attendance
for a second concert in the spring more than tripled.
“Bands like Phil Elvrum, he contacted us because he wanted
to come back and he really enjoyed playing here,” said Lopez.
“We try and get bands we know the students will like and that
we’ve heard (are) great performers. They’re usually
pretty eager about playing here.”
An entertainment capital like Los Angeles is a prime location to
discover the best new bands, and the natural draw of a college
campus provides UCLA students with a unique opportunity. The Campus
Events calendar usually reads like a who’s who of the
most-acclaimed new groups, including past performances by the
white-hot Franz Ferdinand and the Mercury Prize-winning rapper
Dizzee Rascal.
This year, Campus Events will host dozens of free concerts, each
one a chance to see a potential “next big thing” in
action. The first show of the year will be Bloc Party, a much-hyped
UK band that has been garnering comparisons to Franz Ferdinand.
“I think kids were pretty happy about it,” Lopez
said, recalling last year’s concerts. “(There have
been) pretty memorable shows, especially for free shows on
campus.”