On the Concert Trail

By wpengine | October 4, 2001

Mid-fall is the time when students first start to get antsy for a break from school — at least, those of us who weren’t antsy from the very first day of classes. In any case, by the fall, most of us are ready for some diversion, and what better way to escape the monotony of campus life than attending a concert?

In Ithaca itself, one of the best places to see a concert is at the Haunt. This venue constantly has a string of smaller acts playing all nights of the week. The highlight of the Haunt’s line-up this fall is definitely the legendary funk/punk fusion of Fishbone, who will be appearing on Friday, October 26. The group will go on at 9:00 p.m., with a load of special guests including Dirty Walt & the Columbus Sanitations, Blowfly, Dr. Madvibe, and 3. Prior to the performance, there will be a “Happy Hour” from 6-9 p.m., with house blues band Pete Panek & the Bluecats playing.

Other highlights include 80s hardcore band King’s X (Monday, October 29) and goths the Cruxshadows (November 4). Check out the Haunt online at www.thehaunt.com for a full schedule of shows. Also be sure to keep an eye out for all the local shows happening every weekend at smaller venues like the Nines, Castaway’s, the Odyssey, and even Collegetown Bagels.

Other Ithaca events include the appearance of popular jam act Rusted Root at Ithaca College. These Grateful Dead revivalists will be bringing their unique mix of jammy rock and tribal drumming to IC’s Ben Light Gymnasium on October 27. To get the full information, check out IC’s Bureau of Concerts homepage for the event: www.ithaca.edu/boc. The Cornell Concert Commission, meanwhile, has yet to announce any set dates for its shows this year, but a few promising candidates are in the works.

If the local scene isn’t enough for the avid concert-goer in you, there are plenty of larger cities within an hour or two by car or bus. Buffalo, the furthest of the cities surrounding Ithaca, seems to be the place to go for metal concerts this year. On October 18, the “Pledge of Allegiance” tour will roll into town at the HSBC Arena (www.hsbcarena.com). The tour, with the dubious boast that attendance can lead to ears bleeding, is headlined by raucous metal bands Mudvayne, Rammstein, Slipknot, and System of a Down.

Then, 10 days later on the 28th, the HSBC Arena will host the “Family Values Tour,” the massive stadium venture founded by Korn in 1998. This year’s headliners include a more varied line-up than in the past, with Stone Temple Pilots, Staind, Linkin Park, and Static X topping the bill. And, if Buffalo concert-goers still haven’t had their fill of headbanging, metal king Ozzy Osbourne will roar in on the crazy train on December 16, accompanied by the lord of the undead, Rob Zombie.

But lest you think Buffalo is only home to metalheads, on October 20 the Showplace will be hosting the penultimate party punk band, the Bouncing Souls, with an impressive opening roster of Flogging Molly, Madcap, and One Man Army.

Another pitstop on your next rock n’ roll road trip should definitely be Syracuse. The Goldstein Auditorium at Syracuse University (http://students.syr.edu/depts/boxoffice), in addition to hosting Everclear this past Tuesday, will feature ska/punk outfits Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger for an early show 6 pm on Sunday, October 7.

Syracuse’s Landmark Theatre (www.landmark-theatre.com) will also feature some great concerts, including hard rockers Fuel and Saliva with Breaking Point (October 21) and Southern rock band Widespread Panic (November 6). At Lost Horizon, the up-and-coming jam band O.A.R. will perform on October 14 with opening act Llama. Ithaca band gone national John Brown’s Body will be returning to their home area for a show on November 9 at Armory High.

But by far the highlight of the Syracuse touring season should be Bob Dylan’s stadium appearance, at the War Memorial Arena on November 13. The Syracuse stop is part of a long series of dates that also includes an appearance at Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 19.

Cortland, the closest of these cities to sunny Ithaca, unfortunately only has one concert of note scheduled at this time. Folk-influenced singer/songwriter John Wesley Harding will appear on November 7 on SUNY Cortland’s campus.

Basically, we’re looking at a pretty solid concert season in the upstate New York area. Unfortunately, for those of us without cars, seeing most of these shows means either grubbing a ride from a friend or shelling out cash for a bus ticket. Still, with plenty of great shows right here in Ithaca — not to mention the unannounced acts who may be coming right here to Cornell — even those of us stuck in Ithaca can get our fill of concerts.

Archived article by Ed Howard

What It All Really Means

By wpengine October 5, 2001

Sometimes when you’re really struggling to find an idea for a column, God strikes you with inspiration. Last night, God’s name was Barry Bonds. For the second time in the history of baseball, a man has hit 70 home runs in a season. I am fortunate enough to have lived in a time when I saw both men reach this seemingly insurmountable plateau amongst unparalleled media frenzy. But Barry Bonds’s ascension to this new baseball Nirvana — the land of 70 home runs — is not something to be taken for granted. Simply having seen the feat before, when Mark McGwire did it in 1998, makes it no less breathtaking in its reprise. Baseball’s past is not easily erased. New marks made in the record books hold a significance unparalleled in any other sport. Still, some of you may feel, as I did earlier this summer, slightly jaded by the whole Bonds home run race. We’ve seen more players hit 60 home runs in the last four years than we’ve seen do it in the previous 100+ years of organized baseball. Has it gotten too easy to hit home runs? Have juiced balls, smaller stadiums and bad pitchers led to the creation of a baseball that only scarcely resembles the baseball of old? When Babe Ruth hit 60, he out-homered several baseball teams by himself. Today, Bonds or McGwire’s greatest years combined would still fall well short of even the poorest home run hitting teams. In the end though, I feel the argument is moot. Different times breed different types of players and hence, different stats. Simply because we will see four or even five players hit 50 home runs this season does not make the statement of the home run any less dominating a message. It remains the ultimate expression of utter victory for the batter. Pitchers have the poetry of the strikeout, hitters the manifesto of the home run. The baseball of today is not the baseball of yesteryear. We see rule changes, park changes, player changes on a continual basis now. Still, this makes hitting 70 no less significant. When a player hits 70 home runs, he’s still scoring at least 70 runs for his team and that breeds winning. And despite unmatched offense in this new era, we still haven’t seen a .400 hitter in decades and no one has threatened DiMaggio’s 56-game hit streak. Hitting a little white ball with a thin stick is no easier than it ever has been. You still have to get the bat in its way. The only thing that has detracted in the slightest from Bonds’s feat is the media, of which I am a card-carrying member. Those of us that create the newspapers, take the photos and write the stories are responsible for amplifying the importance of the home run. We have changed it from a simple run scoring device to the only significant part of a game. Today’s home run means no less than “the home runs of old,” as we like to believe. However, we tend to overglorify the process by making the home run the entire focus of the game, especially in the minute-long quips the media spoonfeeds the impatient sports fan. It is one swing of one at bat in one inning of a three hour long game. The home run is important, but it does not define victory. And yet, because the bomb is often the only highlight the viewer sees on SportsCenter or MSG Sportsdesk, it gains significance in the individual game, but loses importance in the scope of baseball as a whole. We, the media, tell you this or that is important, and we influence what you believe, what you look for, what you deem worthy. Is the home run less important than a win? We would sometimes like for you to believe so. Last night, when Rickey Henderson set the all-time runs record, he received little fanfare. Yes, much of that has to do with Bonds. Honestly though, is breaking the all-time career runs record any less important than hitting a 70th home run in a season? No, and if anything, it’s more important and impressive. Yet Henderson will receive little (comparative) coverage. We have made breaking a 70+ year old record less important than breaking a three year old one. Home runs have garnered inordinate importance to the game because we choose for it to be so. Is a home run that makes the game 10-2 any less important than a pitcher getting out of a bases loaded, no outs jam with the score 2-1? Of course not, but you can package a home run into an eight-second video clip; getting out of a jam takes longer. The jam never gets seen — the home run, Joe Schmoe’s 27th of the year, makes the highlight reel on a two play highlight. Why? Because it fits. Like I said at the top, what Barry has done this year is amazing, and I’m not trying to play down the man’s accomplishments. What he has done is remarkable. But remember, if his team doesn’t make the playoffs in the end, what he did this season really matters very little. But no one has to tell Barry that. He already knows it.Archived article by Charles Persons
Lehigh Next Test for Football

By wpengine October 5, 2001

If ever there was a situation that might be able to ignite the football team to overcome its disappointing 0-2 start, it might come in the form of tomorrow’s 1 p.m. duel with Lehigh on Schoellkopf Field. The Red will have the chance to compete against a top 10 Division 1-AA program — a prospect that excites head coach Ted Pendergast and his troops. The matchup marks the opening of Cornell’s home campaign. Historically, the Red has played well against the Mountain Hawks on East Hill, sporting an 11-3-2 lifetime mark against Lehigh at home. Cornell will look to build on last weekend’s performance at Colgate, a dramatic turnaround from its abysmal effort in New Haven, Conn., the previous weekend. Despite falling to the Raiders, 35-32, the Red displayed a reinvigorated offensive effort, one that did not make the trip to start the season. “I saw areas of improvement,” Pendergast said. It’s important that we showed progress.” Pendergast’s preseason projections of a more versatile offense showed some validity last weekend as the running game, led by senior Evan Simmons, contributed 155 yards. Guided by senior quarterback Ricky Rahne, the aerial attack also showed signs of rejuvenation. Freshman Jon Kellner, thought to be a potential deep threat during the preseason, had an outstanding game, making six grabs for 116 yards. “We started to mold together,” said Rahne. And although junior Keith Ferguson was lost to injury during the contest, Pendergast said he will be back on the field tomorrow. “Keith will be fine,” Pendergast remarked. “He has the green light for [tomorrow].” Under the auspices of first-year head coach Pete Limbo, Lehigh has produced eye-boggling offensive numbers. The Mountain Hawks are a perennial force in the Patriot League, having enjoyed two unblemished regular seasons in the last three years. Although the squad returns only four starters from last year’s offense, the most integral component, quarterback Brant Hall, is back. Pendergast said that Hall is made of the same mold as Shaun King, of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whom he coaches while at Memphis. In three games, Hall is averaging 238 passing yards and a 61.4% completion rate. The Red’s defense will be looking to exploit the youth of the men in front of Hall as the entire offensive line has just one returning player in center Jeff Santacroce. On the other side of the ball, the visitors sport even more fresh faces. The defensive line presents no players with previous seasons experience in a Lehigh uniform. This may bode well for the Red’s desire to continue to push the running game. The most effective part of the Mountain Hawks’ defensive unit is the pass protection, led by strong safety Abdul Byron and cornerback Matt Salvaterra. In their last contest the Mountain Hawks showcased their formidable offense, pummeling Central Connecticut, 58-10. Hall used a quick strike offense to put points on the board rapidly. It took him just 92 seconds to make his first touchdown pass. He would throw four more on the day as Lehigh accumulated a rather sizeable 439 total yards in the game. Hall’s primary target Josh Snyder may become a thorn in the side of the Red’s secondary and controlling Snyder will no doubt be a large part of Pendergast’s defensive strategy. Lehigh’s true strength, though, may not lie in the hands of any individual but in its team speed. And speed, as Pendergast explained, isn’t something that can be practiced against. “It’s nothing near what they’re going to see tomorrow,” he said. There still are large holes in the Red’s run defense, a unit that allowed Colgate tailback Nate Thomas a career high 222 rushing yards last week. “We had a bunch of missed tackles,” Pendergast admitted. “We have to reteach tackling.” Nonetheless, the defense has showed signs of rapid improvement. Last week, senior George Paraskevopolous led Cornell with nine tackles, including two for losses, while junior Vinny Bates picked up five tackles. Fifth-year senior Phil Rigueur had a monstrous sack, for a loss of 13 yards of Colgate quarterback Tom McCune on a fourth down stop. Archived article by Gary Schueller