irbe SAd,-jMi istgi good 'Company'
The acclaimed, controversial film "In The Company of Men" opens
tomorrow night. Telling the wickedly funny tale of two disgruntled
executives, the film traces the mens' spiteful plot to seduce and
dump a naive secretary just for fun. Don't be afraid to laugh at this
disturbing, politically incorrect product of the Sundance Film Festival.
Michigan Theater at 7:30 and 9:30. $5 for students. Friday
October 31, 1997 a
Attention 'POP-Mart' shoppers!
U2 has plenty of tricks and treats in store for fans at Silverdome tonight
By Leopold Badaczewski
For the Daily
0 Unlike any other current performing
band, people who have an opinion of
the band U2 either love 'em or hate
'em.
The latter group
is of interest for
the following
inquiry. Those
who strongly dis-
like the band often
&ay, "I used to
joy U2's music
before 'The Joshua Tree,' but now the
new music is too commercial.' This
group of people who I will call the anti-
U2-ers, oftentimes admit to not listen-
ing to entire U2 albums; rather, they
have heard the "new" songs from "Pop"
on the radio and have seen the accom-
panying videos on MTV
So these anti-U2-ers have gathered
their information from the television set
Or the radio, commercial means. Yet
they fault U2 for trying to reach its
audience through these very mediums.
in addition, U2 fans remember them
in particular constructs, ones formed
through past events in the anti-U2-ers'
lives. In other words, they say, "U2 is
not what it used to be and is trying to be
too cool!" Quite right.
If one chooses only to look on the
surface, the anti-U2-er is correct. U2
has adopted the
persona of rock
stars because of
our culture, which
makes, adores and
Ponia s oe breaks its celebri-
Tickets aval able ties. Rather than
running from the
rock star image, U2 has chosen to
embrace it - and mock it.
This superficiality is what U2 is
attempting to exploit.
The screen at tonight's "POP-Mart"
concert in the Pontiac Silverdome is the
largest television screen in the world,
containing hundreds of thousands of
light bulbs, or enlarged pixels.
Images of the band will be painted on
the screen like Warhol's works and the
"cartoons" of Lichtenstein and others
will most likely be burned upon your
retina. In front of the screen, a single
arch will stand, one ironically similar to
the "Golden Arches" of McDonald's. always aimed for, that of the emotion
Underneath these entrapments will love. Beneath the surface, yet over the
stand four musicians who have been heavily groove-laden funk, Bono's
playing together lyrics will be ques-
since 1976. If this tioning the bound-
visual carnival is anes of love, both
not enough, the f the durability of
music these four r peace and the lusting
men will perform of immediacy.
will assuredly The eye candy of
entertain you. U2's "POP-Mart" is
The set list will bigger, brighter and
include songs badder than any
extending back to band today.
U2's first album, One needs only
1980's "Boy," and look to the massive
touch upon nearly stage ensemble for
each album that confirmation of this
has followed. claim.
Much like the U2 is definitely
funk band not the band it used
Parliament and x<rO5i0t' to be. At a time when
strangely reminis- KEVIN KRUPITZER/Daiy so many bands are
cent of the film U2's enormous "POP-Mart" stage was not creating music
"Spinal Tap," U2 erected at the Silverdome yesterday. but rather copying
will emerge from what already has
its encore inside of a mirror ball lemon. been heard, U2's efforts are refreshing,
Ultimately, the band will attempt to regardless of the current lack of media
communicate the same message it has acclaim.
sYA4 %t MIb-4%%
Trio Ben Folds Five doesn't play by numbers
By Rob Mitchum with its sound, to brilliant results.
For the Daily Ever since "Whatever"'s release, the band has been
Quick question: What consists of piano, bass and on the road, travelling across America multiple times,
drums, comes from North Carolina and rocks harder and even as far as Japan and England, where the trio
than 99 percent of live acts on the built a large following from its
road today? PREVIEW first album. The band also played
The answer is Ben Folds Five, this summer on the second stage
one of the most talented and origi- Ben Folds Five of the HORDE festival, where it
nal bands existing in the post- Tomoirow si a p.m. was accompanied by a four-piece
alternative wasteland that is Psas Torwiau, Em string section. "We had strings on
today's music industry. By using $2 the new record," said Darren Jesse
the piano as lead instrument and in an interview from Atlanta, "and
not being afraid to play many different styles of music, we wanted to try some new, faster songs with them. It
Ben Folds Five produces some of the most exciting seemed like touring with them was a good way of keep-
songs currently being made. ing things interesting."
Begun in Chapel Hill, N.C., in 1994, the band has Remaining fresh is important for a band that's been
always consisted of pianist-singer Ben Folds, bassist on the road for more than a year, as Jesse said: "You
Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jesse. After gar- have to be loose, and willing to switch the setup around
nishing critical acclaim for its self-titled debut album, at the last minute. We like to throw in some new stuff
the band was the object of a fierce bidding war, despite and covers,just have a good time basically." Some cov-
remaining relatively unknown. ers that have turned up in live sets recently have been a
Early this year, Ben Folds Five released its second lounge singer version of the Flaming Lips' "She Don't
album, "Whatever and Ever Amen," a collection of Use Jelly" (which can be found on the compilation
genre-hopping songs that has earned the band an even "Lounge-a-Palooza") and a faux-country version of
larger following. From the soaring ballad "Selfless, Oasis' "Champagne Supernova." The band also plays
Cold and Composed" to the violent rant "Song for the many unreleased originals, some of which will turn up
Dumped" and the intricate three-part harmonies of on a collection of rarities due out from the band in
"The Battle of Who Could Care Less," the new album January.
proved that Ben Folds Five was willing to experiment But, Ben Folds Five is currently on the final leg of its
lengthy tour (the threesome plays the Pease Auditorium
in Ypsilanti tomorrow). Then, it's back to the studio for
the recording of a new album, with a new direction.
"The songs are definitely expanding, they're bigger,
longer, more dramatic," said Jesse. "It's not so much
concise pop, there's longer beginnings and endings to
the songs. We're just trying to expand the trio." Should
Ben Folds Five continue to improve and gain listeners
at their current rate, don't be surprised if the members
are world sunerstars by the end of the decade.
The three men of Ben Folds Five.
LE RmICmA
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