Parachuting through Finals Week

Sneezy headlines Spring Playback at Elmhurst University

Hey Boogie Nation! Miss me in your inbox everyday? I think you might have heard enough about how far this band is going this summer. How about hearing about a gig where we didn’t go very far at all? Last Saturday, Sneezy played in Elmhurst. As in, Illinois. As in, forty-five minutes from home.

We pulled up to Elmhurst College at noon for a 6 PM set — the cold weather wasn’t agreeable, but the student crew was all warmth and readiness. The photographers were decked in pink and happy to hang by the merch booth. The sound crew managing load-in sound was just as pink, matching our decorations. The young woman in charge, whose name I absolutely should have written down, put a lot of grown men we work with to shame.

Sneezy was headlining Spring Playback, a five-band showcase for students deep in finals week. When we pulled up, I saw a young man crying under the weight of undergraduate pressures. The concert series was certainly meant to have students let loose… but they did set up formal rows of folding chairs, a set-up that makes more sense for a lecture series than a Sneezy show. Maybe the other bands cared if the seats filled, but Sneezy cares if they empty— it means you surrendered to the power of the Boogie.

We had two drummers Saturday. Sub drummer Luke held down the kit, and Elmhurst University alum TJ joined on percussion. TJ didn’t bring anything in the trailer, instead he played an elaborate setup that he assembled entirely from what he could borrow from the music school. There's something special about grabbing a few toys from your school days to play with the headliners.

The crowd was scattered throughout the field, some in the folding chairs and some just huddled with friends for warmth. Everyone curious about the dance party, but not bold enough to get close to the stage. Brett called everyone up to the front during “Feed the Funk,” and with just a little prodding, the college kids jumped around with permission.

We passed around the bubble gun and followed Brett’s choreography direction. When he jumped back on stage, we unfurled the parachute. The glee was instant. Everyone had been stealing little whiffs of gym class nostalgia since load-in, eyeing the rainbow fabric. Now was the moment. The students gripped the edges tightly, shaking it with such excitement that it took Jack, Danny, and me all yelling in unison to get everyone to lower it together and create the bubble. Waving over the groove, it finally happened. Everyone spun around and danced under the circus ceiling. One of the student photographers camped herself on the ground to get the shot, and I locked in on her to make sure she wasn’t trampled. She was good! Smiles the whole time.

A childhood moment to break up all the becoming an adult of college. That’s why we show up.

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