The ‘Canes had their final home basketball game of the season against ACC opponent NC State. The game itself was a little scary with Miami ending the first half behind and McClinton – who if you’ve never heard of is described by Duke’s Coach K as “one of the best” – scoring less than 10 points. Things must have clicked on in the locker room though because about five minutes into the second half the game started shaping up for the Hurricanes and by the end they’d pulled out a 72-64 victory over the Wolfpack – McClinton scoring 24 on his own. The end was somewhat bittersweet, especially for the seniors who had just played their respective last games on home court. I personally was excited for the win but bummed out by the idea of basketball season coming to an end. So out of optimism I’d like to point out that only the home season has ended. The team still has the ACC tournament to look forward to, where a good performance will likely land them a bid in the NCAA tournament. But out of nostalgia for how much I’m gonna miss home basketball games I’ll just fill you in on what they’re like in the next paragraph so skip ahead if b-ball ain’t yo thang…
….Basketball is one of the most fun school related activities on campus, and in my opinion trumps football every time. Not only do I find the game faster and more exciting, the associated atmosphere is much more appealing. Entering the Bank United Center – “the Buc” – and heading into the student section gives you a real sense of school spirit that I haven’t found anywhere else. Football games for some are just social activities where the game itself is largely ignored, but at a U basketball game you can be pretty certain that everyone is there to really watch the game and be as loud and involved as possible to cheer on the home team, or at least disrupt the visiting one. It’s great! And even if you just don’t know what’s going on basketball-wise, it’s still fun to yell like crazy and diss players on the other team. Even more there are always silly little games like “basketball bowling” or the “half court shot” which give the fans something to watch during time outs and participating students a chance to win free stuff like FOOD!!!!!!!!!!! or BOOKSTORE GIFT CARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh… and did I mention the Sunsations? Yeah… the Sunsations. ‘Nuff said. So when you’re down here next fall I SERIOUSLY RECOMMEND BASKEBALL GAMES! …
But back to the weekend update. This Saturday there were three really great concerts in somewhat close proximity to UM. Girl Talk and Modest Mouse played at venues roughly 30 minutes away, either by car or keen manipulation of Miami’s often archaic public transit system, but if you didn’t feel like leaving campus the much celebrated jam band Umphrey’s McGee gave a FREE concert from UM’s own Unversity Center patio. If you haven’t heard of them before, they play melodic, musically complex music, liberally permeated by piano / drum / guitar solos. Similar artist include moe., Phish, the String Cheese, etc. The show started at 8pm so at around 7.30 I walked from the freshman dorms past the lake and to the patio. The patio just to let you know, is adjacent to the campus’s University Center or UC and is decked out with lots of tables, umbrellas and chairs and even has a stage backed up against the lake. It’s a pretty sweet setup for a concert especially one at night with light effects. With maybe a late start the band kicked off and the whole set from then on was amazing. There was a big crowd and most of the songs had the more rambunctious of them dancing in the first 10 rows or so – mostly like flower children and superfans of the Beatles. Others they played inspired deep and pondering stares from awe-struck faces laced in smoke of questionable legality as the keyboards insanely melted over everything and the guitarists burnt their fingers on the strings. The band took a 20 minute break and then launched into another crescendo until in one gigantic cacophony they concluded for the eventual encore. I decided to leave for the encore because I saw the set list lying on the stage and knew they planned to play a song I didn’t like. So instead I left early to snoop around the merch table then head back around the lake home. I was exhausted but it was really amazing to hear the distant music and see the ripples of the light effects on the water and in the big shadows of the four twelve story dorm buildings. I thought the show was awesome, and gratefully remembered that it was FREE – thanks UM!
http://www.umphreys.com/main.php Umprhey’s
I hear of friends at other schools who get Girl Talk and Ben Folds, but thinking about the chance to see Umphrey’s I have to say that I’m really happy with the music scene at Miami. I mean, sometimes it’s a little unoriginal. Most of the club music is horrible, save a few notable exceptions and the spring music festival, ULTRA. And if you’re looking for the next indie hotspot this isn’t the place – unless it’s independent hip-hop. But there is a very impressive ska set, a vivacious reggae presence, and a tight assortment of jam outfits that love to throw in mixes of the former and latter styles. That’s something I can’t say about home or any other place but here – Cali maybe? Miami is such a vibrant place it attracts all kinds of talent. I had the chance to see Girl Talk or Umphrey’s by being here. Kids at those other schools I talked about don’t get that choice. That’s something really cool and something I never would have expected from this place.
That was pretty much my weekend other than hanging out in preparation for the final week before spring break. Peace!
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