Editorial: Old Crow Medicine Show, a step in the right direction

Old Crow Medicine Show took the stage at Brock Auditorium Feb. 8 and played an exhausting set, lasting more than two hours. One would think everyone would be exhausted.

However, the energy level remained for the entire time with a massive chant of "Old Crow! Old Crow!" bringing the band back for an encore.

The amazing thing was, it felt like they were taking the stage for the first time.

Fat Joe can't say he accomplished this when he came to Eastern last year.

Everyone was "leaning back" to Fat Joe for a brief period. Soon, though, he was slinking back into the shadows after his album tanked.

The bands that came with MTV's Campus Invasion Tour don't even have enough songs in their back catalogue to play this long.

And even if they did, no one would sing along to every song like the fans did at Brock Thursday.

In the modern world of ringtones and Internet downloads, some music insiders argue the artists who build their fan base on albums are slowly going the way of the dinosaur.

The throngs who gathered to see Old Crow Medicine Show would disagree.

Fan Ryan Miller said people wanted substance in their music. A band that has a history and built a strong fan base through good albums, not hit music videos.

Colin Reusch, Chief of Staff for SGA, said the choosing of Old Crow Medicine Show was basically unanimous. He said they were looking to bring artists to Eastern who have a musical history and a solid fan base, rather than going for the quick hit with an artist who is burning up the top 40.

Murray State's tough sell for the John Mayer concert should be a testament that the top 40 is not always the best indicator of ticket sales.

Kudos to SGA and SAC for looking at past situations and taking a risk. The decision paid off.

Reusch said the booking of Old Crow Medicine Show helped save money so they can bring a bigger concert to Eastern later in the year.

We encourage them to continue in the direction they are going. Choose substance over style and flash. Let the Old Crow show be a template to build off of for the future.

One more thing.

Stay away from Fat Joe.