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Grouplove rocks the Bres: Serving students with live music

March 31, 2022
Grouplove preforms at the Breslin Center on March 29, 2022.
Grouplove preforms at the Breslin Center on March 29, 2022. —
Photo by Rahmya Trewern | The State News

The annual collaboration with Impact FM, ASMSU, UAB and RHA finally presented their grand fromage at the Breslin Center: the Spring concert featuring "Tongue Tied" singers Grouplove and local rockers, Pretoria.

While Impact FM Station Manager George McNeil explored many options with the groups, they knew that Grouplove was the choice for MSU.

"A lot of our committee members had really positive memories associated with Grouplove and we thought it would be really cool to bring them to campus,” McNeil said.

McNeil knew that he had to find the proper sound that would both represent and excited the MSU community, as well as the larger East Lansing area and was excited to find the group he was looking for.

“For fans who maybe heard Tongue Tied a couple years back and haven’t heard from Grouplove since or aren't as immersed in the scene, I think there's going to be a lot of exciting, fun, weird music that comes out of this,” McNeil said.

Impact has also been a fan of the opener, Pretoria, for a while, having them on their live shows and in the studio. McNeil explained this addition to the concert speaks to the talent of this area, as well as proving that Michigan's capitol is not only a center for academics, but also a central region for cultural engagement.

McNeil said that the concert had sold over 2,500 tickets, excited that his team was able to deliver available and affordable live entertainment to campus. He is already looking a month forward to Stoopfest and another concert Impact will be announcing soon, not looking to end the excitement anytime soon.

“(The concerts) are a chance to listen to some high energy and positive groups,” McNeil said.

While everyone was buzzing for the headliner, there were still fans of the opener within the Breslin. Environmental biology junior and indie music lover Ashley Strong was already excited to dance along with Pretoria, a band she had seen before.

“I actually saw Pretoria at the Union in the first semester … I love them," Strong said.

She even had her favorite song picked out from their setlist: Keep Two Stepping.

Her whole friend group may have only gone for a couple songs, but they were still excited to see what was to come at the concert while loving live music and excited that the experience had stretched to MSU.

“All my school friends are here so you get to go with your favorite people, the tickets are cheap,” Strong said. “Pretoria is local, which I love supporting local bands.”

The group had also already predicted the high point of the concert.

“I think all of us has decided that Tongue Tied is going to be the peak of the night, but I am a fan in general too,” Strong said.

While many of the audience members were most excited to see "Tongue Tied," Arts and Humanities freshman Casie Menuck enjoyed hearing her favorite song: "Ways to Go." She also danced to a song that the band had never debuted before, "Shake That Ass,", premiering a never-seen-live before song.

“I really liked the two songs that I know, and I wanted to know more because … this is probably a good band if I like two of them now,” Menuck said.

While she enjoys live music anywhere, she especially wants to attend MSU concerts because it's the college town she takes pride in and where all her people are.

kinesiology freshman and avid music lover Jaylyn Jones was impressed by how well the concert was setup with the Breslin and how fun and interactive the band was with the audience, even being wowed by concerts her whole life.

“My best friend and I have been to over 30 concerts,” Jones said. “So live music is part of our lives and it inspires us.”

Commenting on iconic moments in the show such as when the drummer threw his sticks to the crowd and the music that had the whole crowd jumping, Jones was inspired by the whole concert.

“I actually really liked Pretoria," Jones said. "I had never heard of them before, but they were really cool. But nothing really beats Tongue Tied.”

Other fun moments that had the crowd enamored with the group was when the band announced that during one of their newer songs, they would be filming their new music video with the crowd.

The most important aspect of the concert was that Grouplove was very into the music they were playing, dancing right along with the crowd and singing with them, not to them.

Words from Hannah Hooper, the main vocals from the band, on the college experience seemed to tie the theme of the night, full of lighthearted entertainment and a group of music enthusiasts singing and dancing with each other, all together.

"Don't stress the little stuff, it's all about the friendships you make."

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