By: Sofie Huntington
When it comes to Rodrigue’s Coffee House’s concerts, there’s one question I have often pondered: can we be chill?
If I am going to a Rod’s concert, I’m mentally and physically preparing myself. I’m hyping myself up, putting on my coolest outfit, and ensuring that the outfit is secure; once the music starts, you can be sure the jumping, dancing, and moshing won’t cease until the speakers go silent.
After attending nearly every Rod’s concert over the past two semesters, this is the vibe I have come to expect. Most of the time, I enjoy the high-energy environment. But, sometimes, I struggle to garner the energy to maintain such high-intensity levels for 2+ hours. So, it was to my pleasant surprise to find out that the first concert of this semester would be not one but two artists that are much more mellow.
On January 26th, Greg Freeman and Merce Lemon performed at Rodrigue’s Coffee House. Neither musician required as much set-up as the typical concert; I found only two voice microphones and a guitar mic set within the usual semi-circle of speakers. Merce Lemon opened with a soft, sweet voice that made me want to hug my friends. Greg Freeman followed with a similarly soft voice but with more of a folksy twang and high register. In between, despite being separate acts, the artists sang one song together that highlighted how complementary their two styles are.
Since the style of these artists was quite different from the other artists I’ve seen perform at Rod’s, it made sense that my experience at this show was also different. Rather than a chaotic whirlwind of moshing and jumping, the concert patrons faced the stage, standing, nodding, and swaying to the soft melodies. What surprised me was that when Merce started to sing, there was no usual shift of bodies toward the stage. Instead, a large majority of the crowd kept talking. Some of this died down throughout the first song, but much of the chatter persisted throughout her and Greg’s set.
This aspect of my experience is what stuck with me the most. While I had never been to a Rod’s concert that was as calm and mellow, I wasn’t expecting the lack of volume to open up the opportunity for people to talk over the artists. In fact, I expected them to speak less since it was so much more apparent when people were talking. Yet, this was not the case. This thought stayed with me going into the second concert.
On February 2nd, a trio of acts performed at Rod’s: djdreamgyrl, Warm Wishes, and Crush Fund. Djdreamgyrl, a Fordham student DJ, opened up the show with a flow of remixes I would call techno or electric. They were followed by Warm Wishes, a four-person group from Brooklyn, who came in with a calmer alt-rock set that featured higher-pitched, almost whiny vocals accompanied by guitar and keyboard-generated beats. Also from Brooklyn, the three-person band Crush Fund brought up the energy with their punk-rock set emphasizing bass and drums.
The DJ set was a nice transition from the pre-concert chat into the concert, with everyone dancing, talking, or both. There was a pause before Warm Wishes started their set, which I found similar to the first concert; everyone faced the stage, stood, and swayed. There was considerably less talking; I wonder if this could be attributed to the DJ set being first, people being aware of the state of the last concert, or if it was completely independent of the previous concert’s atmosphere. Once Crush Fund started their set, the classic Rod’s concert that is oh-so-familiar once again returned. Perhaps with even more energy, as some had been waiting to open the mosh pit since last semester. While I can appreciate a good mosh pit, I opted to stand off to the side of the room, enjoying the music and energy of everyone around me.
To answer my own question, I think Rod’s can be chill. I believe Rod’s scene is one of Fordham’s most sacred vessels for the appreciation of music, and it has the potential to open itself up to new genres and styles since its members, as well as the Fordham music scene overall, are exceptionally diverse and open-minded.
