Live Music Scene in RI
As the lights slowly turned on, sweat becomes visible on the ancient wood floor of the Met.
Even though it is a Thursday night, around 100 people gathered at the Met in Pawtucket to experience the live performances of LOLO, The Griswolds and New Politics.
Rhode Island may be the smallest state, but many agree the state sure does have a massive music scene drawing music-lovers of all ages.
“The crowd was F****** unbelievable tonight and is a huge reason we love[Rhode Island],” said Christopher Whitehall, lead singer of The Griswolds.
Whitehall and The Griswolds hail from Sydney, Australia and recently began their second year of touring in the USA.
Along with The Met, Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel in downtown Providence serves as one of the most popular venues for concert-goers in the 401.
Dating back to 1994, bands including Dave Matthews Band, Oasis, Foo Fighters, Green Day, and Radiohead began their careers on the Lupo’s stage in Providence.
Today, big acts continue to play cheap shows at Lupo’s.
In April, billboard topping “Walk the Moon” came to Lupo’s and electrified a sold out audience.
The Lollapalooza festival recently called Walk the Moon “an interactive celebration of life and love, a communal commitment to joy and living in the moment.”
With general admission tickets at just over $20, a sold out crowd including a number of South Kingstown students recently experienced Walk the Moon’s incredible live performance.
And just last weekend, home-grown alternative-rock band “Deer Tick” played a show at Lupo’s in which a number of South Kingstown students attended.
“ Seeing a band that’s from Rhode Island shows how even though our state is small, a lot of good music is made here” said Sophomore Adam Brown.
Brown also noted that the Providence show was the most tickets Deer Tick has sold throughout its tour.
Besides concerts in clubs, bars and stadiums, Providence also hosts concerts at Waterplace Park throughout the summer.
One unique aspect of the music scene is Rhode Island, is the 95.5 WBRU Summer Concert Series. WBRU alternative music station hosts six free concerts on Fridays throughout the summer and are open to all ages.
The summer concerts series exposes up and coming artists such as Walk the Moon and Grouplove in 2012, The 1975, The Mowgli’s, Cold War Kids, and Young the Giant in 2013.
These concerts give everyone the opportunity to see great new artists for free, and you can meet the band after too.
With a wide variety of concert-types all throughout Rhode Island, there’s no question why Travel + Leisure magazine named Providence as the #2 music scene in the country.
Senior Owen Tally insists “The music scene in Rhode Island is so great because it brings so many people together”
