Homecoming: Bad Suns & The Greeting Committee Take the Pentacrest
by Georgia Sampson
Photos by Hayley Anderson
Bad Suns. Photos by Hayley Anderson
“We want people to come and have a good time,” Savannah Lane, Scope’s general manager notes. One week before the Homecoming concert– this could be taken as a wishful thought, but now I can see that it was an assurance of what was to come. Scope Productions, a UI group dedicated to finding diverse music for the Iowa City community, had been planning the Bad Suns concert for Homecoming.
On the night of October 18th, students, alumni, and community members alike gathered on the Pentacrest. Under the waning moon and lavender lights set up on the stage, groups pushed in and out trying to find their place across the lawn. The chaotic pushes took over as soon as the Greeting Committee took the stage and their lead singer, Addie Sartino, took off her blazer. She commanded the crowd, dancing around in her sports bra and captivating groups with jokes and the “ooos” and “aahs” of her sweet voice that lifted over the rock style of the guitar and drums. Songs like “You’ve Got Me” and “Is This It?” sent groovy waves across the crowd, placing emphasis on bass and saxophone. Their performance, as wild as it was, was a warm-up for what was to come.
The Greeting Committee. Photos by Hayley Anderson
“For me personally, I’ve been listening to Bad Suns for a while,” Carolyn Wojtkowski, the Talent Buyer for Scope Productions said. “So, I feel like they have been around for a while, and they’re warm in people’s hearts. It’s kind of like ‘let’s sit down on the Pentacrest and listen to music and have a nice time.’ Or maybe mosh in the front.”
As if on cue, the moment Bad Suns came out, groups at the front began to shove each other. Groups on the back lawn swayed to their opening title, “Away We Go.” Bad Suns made sure this performance was for everyone, old fans and new. Pulling at the depths of their collections, the group played “Transpose” and “Salt” while also playing more popular favorites like “Daft Pretty Boys” and “Cardiac Arrest.” They leaned into every song, keeping with their optimistic tunes and dancing as much as they could.
“I think that their genre is perfect,” Lane noted. “It is one of the perfect fits for everything the [Homecoming] show is. They are fun to listen to and upbeat, but they’re not completely pop. It’s kind of mass appeal.”
People across the Pentacrest followed the bands movement and voice in a state of easy happiness. Old friends grouped together humming along to the familiar songs, and under the lights of the stage, Homecoming happened again. A good time, just as Lane had predicted.