Spring Break
Woodies shows New York how to rock, college style
Brandon Weiss
Issue date: 11/16/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Awards shows are generally stale, and neglect to keep viewers on their toes but since the launch four years ago of MTV's sister network for college students, mtvU, the station has decided to try a different approach to the production of a "same-old" awards ceremony, by creating the mtvU Woodie Awards.
A Woodie is literally an award made to look like a tree stump, but most likely a bit denser. The awards are aimed towards trendy college students that are interested in avant-garde pop music. The kind people at MTV gave me the opportunity to experience the Woodie Awards first hand Nov 8 at Roseland Ballroom in New York City.
The experience of attending the 2007 mtvU Woodie Awards was kind of like attending a Bar Mitzvah. The ceremony seemed almost a right of passage for many of the artists attending, much like the ceremony given to a thirteen year-old Jew. Young acts like Gym Class Heroes, Say Anything, and Boys Like Girls, were on hand to receive the first noteworthy awards of their career. The night had the sensation of a giant party. The event was fixed with an elaborate lights set and two stages that saw plenty of action throughout the night. The house DJ for the evening was RJD2, who kicked out the jams before the show and during commercial breaks.
The show was launched with up and coming hip hop act Lupe Fiasco, who graced the audience with his semi-hit, "Superstar." It didn't take long for mtvU to pull a great surprise, as Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy came on stage to sing the chorus with Lupe Fiasco. The audience was floored.
Another highlighted act of the night was The Academy Is…. Stump and the rest of Fall Out Boy was on hand, along with an overzealous stranger from the audience who made his way up on stage, to present TAI… with the "Viral Woodie." The "Viral Woodie" is an award for the act that reigned supreme in "crashing servers and blowing up the World Wide Interwebs all year long." After clinching the first award of the night, TAI… pleased the crowd with a stellar performance of two songs, "Everything We Had," and "We've Got A Big Mess On Our Hands." Singer William Beckett's voice was spot-on.
A Woodie is literally an award made to look like a tree stump, but most likely a bit denser. The awards are aimed towards trendy college students that are interested in avant-garde pop music. The kind people at MTV gave me the opportunity to experience the Woodie Awards first hand Nov 8 at Roseland Ballroom in New York City.
The experience of attending the 2007 mtvU Woodie Awards was kind of like attending a Bar Mitzvah. The ceremony seemed almost a right of passage for many of the artists attending, much like the ceremony given to a thirteen year-old Jew. Young acts like Gym Class Heroes, Say Anything, and Boys Like Girls, were on hand to receive the first noteworthy awards of their career. The night had the sensation of a giant party. The event was fixed with an elaborate lights set and two stages that saw plenty of action throughout the night. The house DJ for the evening was RJD2, who kicked out the jams before the show and during commercial breaks.
The show was launched with up and coming hip hop act Lupe Fiasco, who graced the audience with his semi-hit, "Superstar." It didn't take long for mtvU to pull a great surprise, as Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy came on stage to sing the chorus with Lupe Fiasco. The audience was floored.
Another highlighted act of the night was The Academy Is…. Stump and the rest of Fall Out Boy was on hand, along with an overzealous stranger from the audience who made his way up on stage, to present TAI… with the "Viral Woodie." The "Viral Woodie" is an award for the act that reigned supreme in "crashing servers and blowing up the World Wide Interwebs all year long." After clinching the first award of the night, TAI… pleased the crowd with a stellar performance of two songs, "Everything We Had," and "We've Got A Big Mess On Our Hands." Singer William Beckett's voice was spot-on.
Be the first to comment on this story