At 11:15 Friday night, a standing audience belted out cheers for the Bulldog Bash featured artist as he approached the stage with just speakers, mics and a guitar.
A little taken aback by the intensity of a screaming crowd, Howie Day widened his eyes as if he had never played a gig before. He then, picked up his Takamine acoustic-electric and played “Sorry So Sorry,” the first song from Australia. Only after the third song did he say “Hey” to the audience, understandable after looping his voice through a pedal and percussion from the guitar’s body. This was his first show ever to play in Mississippi, not a surprise considering that he made his debut in Boston.
Day’s expressionless girlfriend sat cross-legged, her feet dressed in white stilettos, while his fans below never averted their eyes from the fast picking guitarist, yelling when he impressively played a chord sequence with one at every fourth of a second. The first row was lined with Howie-struck girls, where a fan kept yelling at him for a guitar pick, which he later replied mouthing, “After the show.”
After the melancholy “Ghost,” the strongest song from Australia, he lighted the mood with “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer. But not really. After eight counts, he quit, laughing with the booing crowd. He did the same with Britney Spears and Celine Dion covers. Later, he made the audience sing along with him the chorus of “Africa,” an ’80s classic, after which the mysterious girlfriend finally smiled. He played only his originals, finishing the performance 20 minutes early without returning for an encore. The crowd stayed for 10 more minutes waiting and calling for him to comeback, but he remained backstage, thanking Music Makers and pacifying girls.
His concert turned out almost exactly how it was expected to. He looped through 10 pedals, spicing up some songs with techno and percussion. His dress was the usual T-shirt and jeans attire; his hair stood straight up. He definitely captured the mood of the audience, with flavors of romance and heartbreak in the lyrics.
One thing was lacking, however, and was somewhat of a disappointment to loyal Howie Day fans. That key area was connection to the people there to see him.
Almost every song was performed with eyes closed and though he said, “Thank you,” frequently in intervals, he acted distant, as if he’d rather be somewhere else. Since he has friendships, family, and a life just like the rest of the world, a miscommunication might have occurred that frustrated him to some degree. Since he needs sleep just like us, he might have been exhausted from traveling from the west coast a day prior. With that said, every show of his may be distant, but it will certainly be impressive.
Calvin Richardson, a rhythm and blues singer, and his band played before the Howie show for an hour and a half. Taking off his sweater as he circled the stage and later the audience, Richardson made much of the female crowd scream with excitement. Mile 8, a jam band from Nashville, played mellow and high-mood tunes, similar to those of Phish for one groovy hour. The Breakfast Club, an ’80s cover band had replaced three of its members-the lead singer/guitarist, the bassist, and the drummer. Children dressed in MSU cheerleading outfits and jerseys danced to “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” sarcastically covered by an all-male group. Falter and Bet Boy Sherman, two of Starkville’s local bands also played for Bulldog Bash.
Overall Friday night was fun and crowded with no disasters, just like the Student Association planned for it to be.