Matt McGann '00 | April 23, 2008
"The MIT Spring Concert"
Today is the official beginning of Spring Weekend at MIT. The highlights include the always-popular International Fair ("I-Fair"), the colorful Holi festival, AXO LipSync, and the Fierce Forever drag show.
But above all else, for most students, Spring Weekend means the Spring Concert. Every year, MIT brings to campus a national act to headline a big concert on campus. This year's Spring Concert features Third Eye Blind and Howie Day.
Over the years, many awesome bands have played MIT's Spring Concert. Here are some of the highlights from past years. In parentheses are the band's most popular song (according to iTunes) and my favorite song from the band (if different). For some of these bands, choosing a favorite song was really hard; sometimes, it was a near coin toss.
1966: The Beach Boys ("Kokomo" / "Wouldn't It Be Nice")
1968: Jefferson Airplane ("White Rabbit" / "Somebody to Love")
1969: Janis Joplin ("Piece of My Heart" / "Mercedes Benz")
1971/1969: Chuck Berry ("Johnny B. Goode")
1974: Aerosmith ("Dream On")
1976: Don McLean ("American Pie")
1982: The Ramones ("I Wanna Be Sedated" / "Sheena is a Punk Rocker")
1984: Cheap Trick ("Surrender" / "I Want You to Want Me")
1985: R.E.M. ("Supernatural Superserious" / entire album: "Life's Rich Pageant")
1987: Squeeze ("Tempted" / "Black Coffee in Bed")
1989/1984: ‘til tuesday ("Voices Carry")
1990: Psychedelic Furs ("Love My Way" / "Heartbreak Beat")
1991: Jesus Jones ("Right Here Right Now")
1992: Violent Femmes ("Blister in the Sun")
1993/2000: They Might Be Giants ("Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" / "Birdhouse in Your Soul")
1994: Belly ("Feed the Tree")
1995: Sonic Youth ("Superstar" / "Kool Thing")
1996: Soul Coughing ("Super Bon Bon" / "Screenwriters Blues")
1999: Busta Rhymes ("Touch It" / "Woo Hah!! Got You All In Check")
2001: The Roots ("The Seed (2.0)")
2002: Sugar Ray ("Fly" / "Every Morning")
2003: OK Go ("Here It Goes Again" / "Get Over It")
2004: Live ("Lightning Crashes" / "Selling the Drama")
2005: Fabolous ("Make Me Better" / "Can't Deny It")
2006: CAKE ("The Distance" / "Short Skirt/Long Jacket")
Here is a somewhat complete list of the history of MIT Spring Concerts:
2008: Third Eye Blind / Howie Day
2007: Ying Yang Twins / Ozomatli
2006: CAKE / matt pond PA.
2005: Fabolous / Lloyd Banks
2004: Live/ Slick Rick
2003: Jurassic 5 / OK Go
2002: Sugar Ray / Spin Doctors
2001: The Roots / Blues Traveller
2000: They Might Be Giants / Reel Big Fish
1999: Busta Rhymes
1998: Maceo Parker / Fishbone / Five Fingers of Funk
1997: Battle of the Bands (no headliner)
1996: Soul Coughing
1995: Sonic Youth
1994: Belly
1993: They Might Be Giants
1992: Violent Femmes
1991: Jesus Jones
1990: Psychedelic Furs
1989: ‘til tuesday
1987: Squeeze
1986: Ministry / Face to Face
1985: R.E.M.
1984: Cheap Trick / 'til tuesday
1983: The Tubes
1982: The Ramones
1977: Aztec Two-Step
1976: Don McLean
1974: Aerosmith
1973: Sha-Na-Na
1971: Chuck Berry
1969: Janis Joplin / Dave van Ronk / Chuck Berry / Julie Driscoll
1968: Jefferson Airplane
1967: The Brothers Four
1966: The Beach Boys
1962: Dakota Staton
1962: The Four Preps
Which Spring Concert do you most wish you could've attended?
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Responses To This Entry:
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For me, there's no question: 1985, R.E.M.
Posted by: madmatt on April 23, 2008 12:56 AM
lol definitely the beach boys. Great music
Posted by: Anonymous on April 23, 2008 02:19 AM
I agree - R.E.M., no question. Although CAKE, Aerosmith, and The Ramones would have been pretty awesome as well.
I would love if we had Counting Crows sometime. ;)
Posted by: Paul on April 23, 2008 02:44 AM
Cake. Oh wait, I was here, just being lame and didn't go. =(
But honestly, if I had to pick, I'd say Third Eye Blind. (How convenient!) Because, just yeah. Awesome 90s music. I am not repeating my mistake from 2 years ago, so I've already bought my ticket. =)
Posted by: Laura on April 23, 2008 02:46 AM
R.E.M. as long as they play "The end of the world as we know it"
Third eye blind most definately,
and my personal favorite-Reel Big Fish.
This is reason #88 why I can't wait to go to MIT!
Posted by: Chris '12 on April 23, 2008 02:54 AM
1985: R.E.M.
Definitely!
Posted by: Jerome Baum on April 23, 2008 03:07 AM
'68, Jefferson Airplane... Would have been neat to hear Grace Slick.
I've seen the Roots play before, they are awesome.
Posted by: Ian on April 23, 2008 03:38 AM
I have to admit that I prefer their early '90s work, so that concert probably wouldn't be as much fun for me :D I'd definitely go to Ramones ('85), They Might Be Giants ('00, not '93), The Roots ('01) and CAKE ('06).
Who decides which band to invite?
Posted by: Sh1fty on April 23, 2008 05:00 AM
Chris '12, "It's the End of the World as We Know It" was written in 1988, so they couldn't have played it in 1985 :D
Posted by: Sh1fty on April 23, 2008 05:04 AM
Aerosmith, hands down. They were at thier best in the early seventies.
Posted by: Anonymous on April 23, 2008 08:38 AM
'06 - who doesn't love CAKE.
Posted by: Femgineer on April 23, 2008 09:07 AM
it would have been a coin toss between Sonic Youth and R.E.M. but even Jesus Jones would have made me happy.
I can only hope we get at least ONE good band some time in the next three years...
Posted by: fred '11 on April 23, 2008 09:49 AM
RAMONES !!!! The Others were great in their day, but the Ramones are timeless and classic.
Posted by: anon on April 23, 2008 09:57 AM
THE CAKE IS A LIE.
Sorry, had to go there.
Posted by: Piper '11 on April 23, 2008 10:09 AM
Soul Coughing! And Sonic Youth. And Cake (wasn't We Are Scientists there too?). And definitely The Ramones, and Violent Femmes.
all of the above?
I'm really disappointed with Third Eye Blind, though. We had SPOON on the list for possible bands this year. Seriously?? Does Third Eye Blind even exist anymore??
Posted by: Jess on April 23, 2008 10:15 AM
I'm convinced that Sonic Youth's "Mary-Christ" is the best song ever ever ever.
So now you know which concert I wish I could have attended. Jefferson Airplane would have been great, too.
Posted by: Keri on April 23, 2008 10:17 AM
shoes
shoes
shoes
OMG SHOES
LIAM SULLIVAN FTMFW
Posted by: Lhydium on April 23, 2008 11:28 AM
Hmmm Jefferson Airplane would've been really interesting.
And I, too, am disappointed with this year's choices. I haven't heard of Howie Day in like a year and a half, and Third Eye Blind... I don't know about that. If it really is true that We Are Scientists played it last year, this is a big downgrade.
Posted by: milena '11 on April 23, 2008 11:35 AM
@Sh1fty
well...this is MIT, I don't think it's unreasonable to believe they built a time machine in 1988 solely for the purpose of having REM play for them in 1985.
Posted by: Chris '12 on April 23, 2008 12:17 PM
@sh1fty:
The students vote in January/February online who the Undergrad Association should invite, and the UA follows the results of that poll. I voted for Sean Kingston, but he ended up going to Wellesley instead, blah.
Posted by: Oasis '11 on April 23, 2008 01:33 PM
Ive been thinking about this. Sonic Youth performed at the '95 spring concert. At the time, their newest album was "Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star" which is one of my all time fav albums.
so yeah... '95 ftw!
Posted by: Fred '11 on April 23, 2008 02:49 PM
REM FTW!
Posted by: Steven '12 on April 23, 2008 03:07 PM
Sonic Youth. Definitely.
Posted by: Isabel on April 23, 2008 04:00 PM
sean kingston is weak because his accent is fake. when he talks, he doesn't have it.
jefferson airplane or the roots.
Posted by: Anonymous on April 23, 2008 05:38 PM
omg kelly is coming to fierce forever? that is awesome. SHOES, betch.
Posted by: Anonymous on April 23, 2008 05:39 PM
REM all the way!! (they should play again... sometime in the next four years...) =D
Posted by: moose '12 on April 23, 2008 07:33 PM
Jurassic 5. for sure. they broke up now and Chali 2na's solo work is weak compared to the group.
Posted by: youknow on April 23, 2008 09:01 PM
J5 is the bomb i miss them ^
Posted by: Anonymous on April 23, 2008 09:08 PM
Beach Boys
Posted by: Anonymous on April 23, 2008 10:38 PM
There's no question in terms of rock history: Janis and Chuck Berry in one place?!?! Let's get on that time travel device, MIT...;)
Although "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" is an exceptionally addicting song...
Posted by: E. Rosser on April 23, 2008 11:14 PM
How did MIT get Ministry? That's pretty cool.
Posted by: Steph on April 24, 2008 02:05 AM
Oh my goodness. Can I just go to all of them? Even '06! (I've already seen CAKE live - they're amazing!)
That's sad that you couldn't get Spoon - they're a lot of fun live.
Posted by: KelseyK on April 24, 2008 12:29 PM
uh, it would have been spoon. & they might be giants
Posted by: lulu on April 24, 2008 11:18 PM
chuck berry would have been totally cool, too. if only i were alive
Posted by: lulu on April 24, 2008 11:21 PM
and don mclean? hey!
Posted by: lulu on April 24, 2008 11:22 PM
2000 & 1993 of course
They Might Be Giants all the way!
with 2007 a *very* close second(third?)
Posted by: MiniPocketsized '12 on April 27, 2008 05:51 PM
woww great parties :) it's really greatt !!! hope 2 be there :)
Posted by: Jihad Dib on May 8, 2008 03:42 PM
