Eaglepalooza breaks records

Five thousand-plus people crowded into the cold and windy streets in downtown Hattiesburg Friday for Eaglepalooza. The annual concert festival put on by the Southern Miss Student Government Association had record attendance, making this year's festival the most successful Eaglepalooza since the SGA began hosting it in 2004.
 
Most of that success can be attributed to the SGA securing a solid lineup of crowd pleasers, including Girl Talk, Grupo Fantasma, S.M.A.A.S.H. and the Foulon Brothers. If there is any part of you that likes to move to a good beat or let loose on the dance floor, then you should have been at this year’s Eaglepalooza.
 
Each act brought a little more to the table in terms of energy. By the time the closing act, Girl Talk, went on, there was absolute insanity in and around the crowd. Greg Gillis, who goes by the stage name Girl Talk, remarked of the crowd, “Performing in Hattiesburg was cool. I loved having the people on stage around me and how excited the crowd was.”
 
The night started off with the Foulon Brothers, who were an appropriate opening act. Their mix of classic and Southern rock set a good pace for the few hundred who showed up early and their thunderous sound barely hinted of what was to come.
 
Taking it up yet another notch was the second act, S.M.A.A.S.H. Looking on stage and seeing ten different musicians setting up multiple keyboards, guitars and vocal microphones looked like a recipe for disaster. However, S.M.A.A.S.H. did not turn out to be the clusterfuzz of noise that one would expect. Instead, they proved that not only was each musician well versed in performance but also crucial to their sound as a whole.
 
In fact, their dual guitar lineup was quite intimidating and almost threatened to steal the show. Their material ranged from upbeat originals to current pop hits from the Black-Eyed Peas and Kanye West. At one point, they actually covered “Little Wing.” If you closed your eyes, you could almost see Hendrix playing it. It was that good.
 
After S.M.A.A.S.H. left the stage there was a real turning point in terms of crowd attendance. People began carefully squeezing in between other people on the front rails and the crowd extended well beyond Main Street. You could tell something special was about to happen.
 
Grupo Fantasma took the stage to a raucous mixture of screams and applause. Hailing from Austin, Grupo Fantasma are a 10-piece Latin orchestra that have played in Hattiesburg several times before. Arguably, some of the best shows at the Thirsty Hippo have been Grupo Fantasma shows. This concert was no exception for them.
 
Grupo went through material spanning four albums, playing crowd favorites like “Arroz con Frijoles” (translated as “Rice with Beans” in English). Possibly the best moment came after a prolonged drum solo, after which the band launched with a ferocious horn section into the last few bars of Led Zeppelin’s “Moby Dick.” The drummer hit the heads of his drums with such fury that at times he rivaled the playing style of Jon Bonham or Keith Moon. Grupo delivered another great show for Hattiesburg concertgoers and hyped up the crowd considerably.
 
Next, the SGA conducted a pep rally in support of the last home game at the Rock. Cheerleaders, the Dixie Darlings, the Pride of Mississippi and even some of the Golden Eagle football players took the stage riling up the crowd. This prepped the crowd for an energetic performance by Girl Talk.
 
Before Gillis took the stage, the crowd chanted “Girl Talk” in unison over as the collective level of excitement rose. The darkened lights only added to the anxiety and even more people managed to cram their way into the front leaving barely enough room to fit a hand or two into the space between them. The lights began flashing and the rail separating the people from the stage instantly leapt forward a few feet.
 
As a closing act, the SGA couldn’t have found a better showman. Gillis jumped around on stage with 50 kids like a Muppet on a caffeine and sugar high. Toilet paper rolls attached to leaf blowers flew through the air at varying angles covering the stage in a soft, white layer of paper. Large beach balls floated around until they hit the hot spotlights above and burst, sprinkling a shower of confetti to the ground. Even if you didn’t enjoy the music, you still have to admit that Gillis knows how to throw a raucous party.