Though Michael Jackson wasn't at the show last night at the Bryce Jordan Center, his spirit definitely was. "Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour," Cirque du Soleil's tribute to the famous singer featured his music, his choreography, and themes from his life, from childhood to saving the world from environmental harm and dictatorships. A live band accompanied Jackson's voice, while a cast of 60 dancers and acrobats displayed his style and interpreted his songs.
When I heard that John Mulaney was coming to Penn State, I called dibs on dibs on dibs on writing the review. As a self-entitled comedy groupie, I was ecstatic. I had seen the debut of his Comedy Central special, New In Town, and I was sold on what is definitely going to be a huge mainstream success. More on Mulaney's set, Joe Mande's opener and my really high expectations, after the jump.
With Movin' On fast approaching, one act to look out for is Young The Giant, an indie rock band out of California. After bursting out on to the scene after their self-titled debut album, the band has garnered a lot of attention, and has played major festivals such as Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits in 2011. I had the chance to talk with guitarist Eric Cannata, and here's what he had to say about Young The Giant, dinosaurs, and everything in between.
Penn State graduate The ‘U’ released a mixtape titled #NoDaysOff last week. I listened to this mixtape in full as a long time hip- hop head. Before you dismiss me as some hipster (I am), know that I can elaborate in great detail on the different styles of Big Pun, Big L, and Biggie Smalls. Now that credibility is out of the way, on to the actual music.
Here we are. It's the final week of the semester. For many of us, it's crunch time, with final projects and papers coming due, and finals week approaching fast. Or maybe you're just spending your last days in State College dicking around, drinking on the porch of Café 210, daylonging or lying in the grass. Either way, you're going to want some sweet tunes to accompany your plans. Lucky for you, you've got Music Monday. This week's selections are brought to you by Meghin Moore, Alex Federman, Drew Balis, Bobby Chen, Zach Berger and Matt D'Ippolito.
As you may know, the Cirque du Soleil is coming to State College on Tuesday, April 24, to perform "Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour". This show is the largest production ever at the BJC, and will combine the traditional Cirque du Soleil acrobatics and gymnastics with live music to create an experience unlike any other show yet. I had the chance to sit down with Maxime Charbonneau, the main publicist for the tour, to ask him more about the show.