Department Of Ten Years Ago: Pat McGee To Play Mason Homecoming Concert

The culture at George Mason University makes me want to bang my head against a wall. I've found that decisions here are generally not the work of an entire organization but of one or two people that seem completely out of touch with popular culture and have no interest in fostering a sense of community. I give you Exhibit A: the 2009 Mason Homecoming Concert.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to ten years ago; someone booked Pat McGee to play at our homecoming concert.

Don't get me wrong; I like Pat McGee. Er, well I used to like Pat McGee, at least. I haven't really thought about him for oh, ten years or so. I honestly didn't know the guy was still playing. Back when I was in middle school, I heard the song Rebecca on WNRN and went out and bought the album at Plan 9. I'm pretty sure I saw him play at Trax at some point if that gives you any indication of how long ago this was. (Charlottesville talk for those not in the know.)

Now honestly......how many college kids that go to George Mason University have even heard of Pat McGee?

I could be completely out of touch with reality here; I have no clue what's on the radio these days.....but I do know what's playing in popular area rock clubs and the answer is not Pat McGee. Pat McGee is not talked about on the blogs and forums I frequent online, either. Pat McGee is probably not huge on Facebook. This really boggles my mind. It's kind of like that time Fighting Gravity got booked at that Virginia Community College conference in Virginia Beach and I was definitely the only one there that knew who they were. It was just awkward.

So who did this? Seriously; I want to know. Someone needs to 'fess up. Don't tell me this is the work of the concert committee; I'm supposedly on that and no one ever said a word about Mr. McGee. It would greatly surprise me if the girls in charge there have heard of PM and I'm almost positive that no one at those meetings would consider themselves fans.

Second question: how much is Mason paying this band? Don't tell me Pat McGee was a budgetary move unless he's playing for free. We could have gotten a bunch of local emo/metal bands (there seem to be a lot of these in Northern Virginia) or some indie bands or even a youthful hip-hop group. (We live so close to DC; I'd personally like to see a live go-go band. Is that in with the kids these days...? Do kids know what that is?) I've made a point to pay attention to the free music on this campus even if no one else does. The best thing I've come across was a hip-hop group that played a mix of covers and originals for a "rock the vote" type of event put on by the concert committee. It's true that people just showed up for the food but the band was good enough that some actually stayed; a feat I have yet to see accomplished by bands at other events. If people are into hip-hop, then why not book a hip-hop band?

I guess the bottom line is that I keep coming across instances like this where there's a chance to bring people together but it's completely wasted. That bothers me. In my mind, it's not about what I like but it's about what will foster a sense of community. Mason is so fragmented that I'm not really sure I have an answer as to how to do this but I'm fairly sure that Pat McGee is not it.

(**Apologies to Pat McGee; nothing personal. I still like your music and if I'm around, I'll try to catch the show.)