This weekend, there will only be one name that matters: Captain Morgan. Perhaps Mr. Smirnoff, or maybe even Jose Cuervo. Oh yeah, Guster too.
In what is news to anyone who lives under three rocks, Fall W.I.L.D. takes place tomorrow. And Team 31 seems to have picked a winner in Guster. Already popular among students, but more importantly, Guster also has a reputation for being an energetic live band. This is a trend that should continue.
In reality, W.I.L.D. is not about the music. W.I.L.D. is about Wash. U. students, for the most part intoxicated, unwinding and having one big party before all the big work starts to set in. Team 31’s choice in performers should help facilitate this. Instead of trying to bring in boring singer-songwriters who play depressing music, Team 31 should continue to go for upbeat, high energy acts who can make the audience dance all their worries away, forgetting about that psych exam worth 30 percent of their grade that’s only a few days away.
There are a couple of routes that Team 31 can take in pursuing this goal. One is to look for acts that play fast, catchy music that is perfectly suited for dancing. This is what Team 31 achieved in bringing in acts like Lucky Boy Confusion and Robert Randolph. Another good example of this type of performer, which could theoretically be in Team 31’s price range (as much as we’d like to see it, we understand that the Rolling Stones might be a little to pricey for Team 31), is Flogging Molly. Flogging Molly plays Irish-themed music that more often than not will make its audience break out into a little jig. Allmusic.com describes Flogging Molly as “spunky,” as well as listing carefree, fun, and energetic as Flogging Molly’s moods. Flogging Molly would also provide a welcome variation from the acoustic rock favored by the previous two rock W.I.L.D. acts, Guster and Ben Folds. A “fun and energetic” band like Flogging Molly is exactly what W.I.L.D. needs.
The other path to W.I.L.D. greatness that Team 31 can take is the one that led them to Lil’ Jon. The sheer ridiculousness of Lil John, n‚e Jonathan Smith, was great music to get drunk (or rather, crunk) to. For a sober audience, the W.I.L.D. headliner inquiring about the sexual activities of Wash. U. students might seem off-putting, to say the least. But to a drunk crowd, Mr. Smith’s banter was hilarious. As such, an artist like Sir Mix-a-Lot would be perfect for a future W.I.L.D.. Even Chancellor Wrighton might be compelled to break out an “I like big butts and I cannot lie” on W.I.L.D. day if Sir Mix-a-Lot were brought to campus (Mrs. Wrighton will not be reached for comment). Better yet, Sir Mix-a-Lot is also described as fun and energetic on Allmusic.com. And since Sir Mix hasn’t really done anything in the past 10 years, releasing one album no one heard of, it’s hard to imagine that his price tag will be to extravagant for Team 31’s coffers. While doing this could turn off some of those who do not go to W.I.L.D. drunk, it would still make for a pretty entertaining W.I.L.D. for the rest of the student body. Using either of these methods would help Team 31 continue to put forth an entertaining W.I.L.D., which is likely for tomorrow’s festivities. Whether or not Guster is a success, one thing is for sure: a boring adult-contemporary band like The Fray better not be coming to W.I.L.D. any time soon.