Arts & Culture
Owl City lead singer Adam Young.
Owl City: sold out and lined up
The Pointer
kshan945@uwsp.edu
A sold-out crowd rushed to the Dreyfus University Center on Saturday, Sept. 5, to see Owl City, the band with the hit single “Fireflies,” perform live.
Though the performance started at 8 p.m., the line outside the Laird Room in the DUC started at 10 a.m. and grew longer and more impatient as time ticked on. Approximately 800 fans took over the upper half of the DUC, with their star-struck hearts on the line. Throughout the sound-check, the line of fans took pictures through the holes of the windows in the doors and trying to catch a glimpse of the band before anyone else had the chance.
The band started in 2007 by songwriter and Minnesota native Adam Young. Starting out in his parents’ basement, Young said he started the band, “in order to keep me busy and out of boredom.”
Though he never saw the band reaching the heights it has, he was excited to know he could be in a band full-time.
“It was a big moment,” said Young, “I really enjoyed what I was doing and one thing led to another.”
Though Young, who provides the lead vocals and much of the songwriting, has garnered most of the attention since the bands rise to popularity, the band also consists of a keyboardist, a cellist, a violinist and a percussionist.
The band cited traveling as one of the group’s main inspirations to create lyrics to many of their songs.
“Everywhere where I haven’t been is an inspiration. I love the idea of going places because you have never been there and you can take a lot from them,” Young said.
Other music has also stylistically influenced Owl City since each member brings a different musical taste to the group. According to Hannah, the cellist, “We all bring our own flavor to the table. I like to listen to a lot of bluegrass.” These stylistic differences allow each member to bring something special to the band ,creating a unique blend for their electronica sound.
While huddled around in the dressing room after the sound check, the band was calm and relaxed. Each member was checking their e-mail, drinking water, eating snacks and relaxing before the show. Checking their e-mail is considered their “pre-show tradition,” stating that they don’t have anything crazy to do just yet, as they are a new band.
Though Owl City is new, strange fan occurrences have already happened. With band members pointing their fingers at Adam, he reluctantly told what happened to him at one concert in May. “I got underwear thrown at me onstage. It was awkward and there was a phone number on it.” He denies calling the phone number and states, “it wound up in a storm drain at the back of the club.” For more on Owl City go to www.myspace.com/owlcity.
