What concerts or musical events did you go to over winter break?
“I went to this cabaret in Oakland for an ’80s punk drag group called Mangos With Chili. It was so great, at one point there was even like, a Chinese Dragon standing there, and you didn’t realize there were people in it until it started moving into the crowd.”
— Miguel Espinosa, fourth-year women’s studies major
“I saw Ezra Furman in Evanston, Illinois; they’re an indie band. I got to talk to the lead singer, which wasn’t that great, he was kind of awkward. But I stole three pieces of artichoke pizza from the bassist. He’s the hottest one.”
— Rachel Gescheidle, second-year biochemistry and molecular cell biology and brewing major
“I saw this indie-rock band called Finish Ticket at San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill venue. I’m actually doing a music video for them, kind of like a short film of three of their songs that they can use for publicity and exposure. I found them online and just offered to make the film for them; they’re on tour right now.”
— Kathryn Vo, second-year environmental policy major
“I went to The Weeknd concert in LA — it was so awesome. Everyone was throwing their bras and boxers on stage and everything. Some girl fainted, like in a total Michael Jackson in-love-with-the-singer moment, and then all of a sudden there were tons of security guards dragging her out to the ambulances.”
— Alex Zendejas, first-year applied mathematics major
“I went to see Zion I, my favorite band, at Porter’s Pub in San Diego. I liked the show a lot, especially when they played ‘Coastin’ and then ‘Don’t Lose Your Head.’ With the second one, they were all sharing their experiences with drugs and telling the crowd to make sure they don’t lose their heads during their own drug adventures.”
— Katie Granger, second-year psychology and political science major
“I saw Above & Beyond at the Oakland Coliseum as part of Pop New Year’s Eve. It was trance, kind of like a rave, which is definitely my thing. The best part was hearing the music live and loud. But not too loud — I was smart, I wore earplugs.”
— Chuck Gunn, third-year film studies major
“I saw Zeds Dead at The Warfield in San Francisco; it was the most packed I’ve ever seen that place. I was in line for 45 minutes just to get inside, and there were a lot of people. I was kind of underwhelmed by the light show, which could have been better, but the music was great. And that’s really all you can ask for.”
— Nate Leber, second-year psychology major
“At my house on New Year’s we had my boyfriend’s band, Tha Dirt Feelin, come over and play. It was the best New Year’s I’ve ever had — we cleared out the living room and people packed themselves all the way to the back wall. They played until 1 in the morning, and we got to do the countdown with all of our friends and their friends there together.”
— Ashley Miller, third-year anthropology major
“I went to Pop New Year’s Eve at the Oracle Arena; the whole thing was crammed, it was great. The best part was the countdown — Dash Berlin was playing and they had fog machines and confetti cannons going off everywhere. Dash Berlin and Above & Beyond were by far my favorite acts there.”
— Sam Kim, third-year managerial economics major
“Oh god, I went to a lot of shows over the break; a KDVS show, a punk show in Sacramento, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club … They were all great, especially the KDVS show, but my band Magic Bullets played, so I’m a little biased towards that. But I love the Sacramento punk scene, it’s just so big and awesome. I woke up from the Sac show almost unable to move. From all the moshing.”
— Matt Stalcup, second-year technoculture studies and English major
“I saw the Trans Siberian Orchestra at the Sleep Train Pavillion, which was pretty awesome. The lights were coordinated very well; there was lasers and fire and everything. It was before Christmas, so they played ‘Carol of the Bells,’ which was my favorite, followed by ‘Wizards of Winter.’”
— Raymond Hoang, first-year graduate master civil and environmental engineering major
