State Theatre Blues

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of watching a fantastic singer and songwriter perform at the State Theatre. Country/folk singer Rodney Crowell played to an enthusiastic audience and put on a two-hour set that didn't drag for a second. But, as I found myself to be the youngest person in the crowd, the show seemed to go unnoticed by the primary readership of a music blog like this.

Low student turnout could be because of unfamiliarity with Crowell. However, I've noticed a trend with State Theatre shows: They're bringing in noted acts, just not in genres targeted towards the student-age crowd. I'm sure most serious music fans I know would have enjoyed the set if they'd heard it; it's getting them in the door that's the problem.

Of course, it's hard to think of what can be done on that end. You can't force-feed someone a genre they don't like. For Crowell, getting most people past "country" is hard enough (though he calls himself folk-rock now, something I attempted to play up in my preview of the show.)

Ticket prices could also be a factor: Crowell's show was more than $20, like most other shows there, and some are more than $40. I don't know if there's a practical way to lower prices, but it's a huge detriment to thrifty college kids who are reluctant to throw down that money for a band they want to see, let alone something you have to convince them to check out.

It's doubly unfortunate, because if the State Theatre continues having lukewarm reactions to these shows, they're unlikely to experiment with bringing in different acts that might draw in this demographic. I just hope we're not stuck in a stalemate where they continue booking interesting shows that go overlooked.