Oct Prowler

PROWLER Culture 18 This year’s Music Midtown lineup incorporated a plethora of genres rep- resented by headliners Eminem and the Zac Brown Band. But like every outdoor concert, this year’s Midtown experience can be described as chaotic and hot. Either way, the performances given by artists like Lorde, Bastille, and B.o.B. more than made up for the heat. Speaking for only those artists I was able to see, the 2014 lineup was, in a word, amazing. Run DMC performed all of their classics, but because of the three-stage venue and compact schedule, I couldn’t enjoy more than a few minutes. Iggy Azalea was next. The crowds were so mas- sive, containing nearly 160,000 people, I struggled to see the stage and I was forced, yet again, to leave early in order to vie for a spot in the Lorde crowd across the park. Attendees cannot be adverse to walking or mass amounts of people because blisters and invasion of personal space are inevitable. But in the case of the Lorde concert, none of that mattered. Her vocals were more impressive live than on iTunes, and her interaction with the crowd is what made it one of my favorite concerts ever. Not to mention Atlanta’s skyline in the background shone brighter than all of the park lights. Lorde even made a trip to our own SkyView after her show. John Mayer gave a performance that made his entire audience dance, while Jack White brought head-banging harmonies to his. After the first night, my only complaint was the parking, or lack thereof, and the By Devyn Mode dmodeprowler@gmail.com schedule. I would encourage the folks of Music Midtown to allot some time between shows. Not only do festival goers have to choose between artists, they must also leave nearly every concert early in an effort to beat the rest of the crowd to the next concert. I would encourage those attendees to do some pre-planning and hard decision making before arriving at Piedmont Park next September. The first show I attended on Satur- day was that of the rap/reggae group, Aer. Like a few other artists, I had already seen them in concert prior to Midtown, and that’s a good thing because after showing up almost 20 minutes late, they were cut off mid-song (my favorite, “Feel I Bring”) because of the previously mentioned, rigid schedule. Third Eye Blind and twenty-one pilots kept attendees from fleeing the park amidst the Georgia heat and lack of clean restrooms. B.o.B. followed, inviting those fans willing to dance onto the stage. As far as the stages were from one another, each stage’s performers could be heard all over the venue. Despite my overwhelming dehydra- tion, which could not be assuaged no mat- ter how many bottles of overpriced water I drank, I attended the lively performance of Fitz and the Tantrums. Front woman, No- elle, stole the show and kept fans dancing until the sun went down. As another result of the schedule constraints, I missed the Lana Del Rey and Gregg Allman concerts, a small sacrifice for my spot in the Bastille crowd. The band sang nearly all of my fa- vorite tunes in addition to my new favorite cover of TLC’s “No Scrubs.” The last performers of the night were Eminem and the Zac Brown Band. Because attendance was highest on the second day and I stand at about 5’1”, both concerts were almost impossible to see and even more impossible not to hear. It was almost as if they were in competition with one another, but both artists offered out- standing and nearly opposite performanc- es. The Zac Brown Band had a simple show comprised of the group’s own hits and classic Southern covers. Eminem’s show followed its own plotline and featured intense aesthetics and sound effects. Ultimately, it was money and a weekend well spent, even with my throb- bing feet and aggravated sinuses. I will definitely be attending Music Midtown in 2015. Music Midtown 2014 took place on Sept. 20 and 21. Lorde performed on Friday night and her show was one to remember. Photo by Devyn Mode. Music Midtown Pleases 2014 Patrons An extraordinary man is someone who doesn’t have to conform. Someone who can break the law to fulfill his purpose. The extraordinary man has no boundaries; he is uncontrollable. He can color outside the lines. He is the elite. He is the invin- cible. He can even justify murder. This is the extraordinary man, Raskolnikov, of the novel Crime and Punishment. Raskolnikov believes his goal of a pleasant world is obtainable through the simple murder of a pawnbroker. She is cruel to everyone around her, so to Ras- kolnikov, her murder is just a step toward making the world a better place. With just the swing of an axe, the extraordinary man creates his first victim. However, this extraordinary man didn’t plan for the in- nocent sister to walk in during the murder. As a result, her life was taken with just another swing of the axe. The invincible meets the unplanned. Raskolnikov stumbles across challenges that extraordinary men do not typically have to endure. His sister is en- gaged to someone he believes to be unwor- thy; his crime is suspected by a local police officer; his guilt haunts him as he admits to a prostitute that he killed her best friend. He questions his own sanity. Throughout the book, the reader witnesses the extraordinary man losing more and more of his humanity. With every turn of the page, Raskolnikov leaves a piece of himself behind, whether it is in the form of his conscience, his family, or the truth. As he lets another man take the blame for his crime, he decides to abandon his family and search for forgiveness while still refusing to admit to the murder. This book isn’t just another mo- rality meets law story. Crime and Punish- ment gives an inside look into a murderer’s mind. Raskolnikov’s dreams, relationships, and thoughts will scare readers as they find themselves relating to society’s worst. Rating: 8 out of 10 Better Than: Silas Marner, The Great Gatsby Not As Good As: Night, The Scarlet Letter You Might Also Like: To Kill A Mock- ingbird, Of Mice and Men By Hannah Matthews hmatthewsprowler@gmail.com Neither a Crime Nor a Punishment

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