Concerning this week’s hullabaloo surrounding the 100th anniversary of Homecoming at the University of Missouri, I have two words: “So what?”
This week was pumped up as an epic centennial celebration for quite a while, but nothing special has been delivered. Unless your name is Freddie Fraternity or Susie Sorority, you have not participated in anything memorable during this Greek-centric fiesta.
Last year, ESPN’s “College GameDay” was the center of attention during possibly the best weekend of my life, but Lee Corso and company won’t be back this time around. In fact, a 1 p.m. matchup between our 2-3 Missouri Tigers and the less-than-talented Iowa State Cyclones is about as far from 2010’s game as possible.
Sure, the other activities aren’t totally bogus, but are they that fun? I’m sorry, but I don’t want to sit and watch floats go by that were reluctantly pumped by blurry-eyed schoolgirls at three in the morning. I don’t want to go to Talent Night and watch subpar comedy. I don’t want to hear “Every True Son” more times than MU has thought about leaving the Big 12.
“So, what do you want to do?” you might ask me. Before all seven of my readers begin to make me out as some distant descendant of Ebenezer Scrooge, let me explain:
I want to dance. Every kid on campus wants to dance. Half the faculty would probably want to dance if asked.
So, during the summer, when I thought about all of the cool concert possibilities for this milestone week (and the nearly $80,000 budgeted for free shows this year), visions of high profile music names danced in my head. Could MU possibly rein in a big country group like Zac Brown Band? How about Mac Miller or some overblown pop diva? I heard Kelly Clarkson is still alive. Surely they could at least bring in someone.
Alas, we are left with nothing, while other institutes like St. Louis University (Lupe Fiasco), Cornell (B.O.B. & Motion City Soundtrack), Central Florida (Lupe & Panic! At the Disco) and Virginia Commonwealth (Wale & J. Cole) get to party as a complete student body during homecoming.
In September, The Maneater reported there would be no concert due to the proximity of Jason Derulo’s Hearnes Center show in August.
In my opinion, this is the best time to do it. I don’t understand when there will be a better opportunity.
Nothing brings the campus together like a show, and it’s a shame that the most communal thing we’ll be participating in is leaving Faurot Field during the third quarter on Saturday.