Free Movie Series Lights Up The Night A review by Leah Laird
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Feel the Music I arrived at the Pentacrest early in the night, shortly after seven. There were a dozen people already there by this time, being entertained by live music. U of I students Greg Thompson and Emily Ginsberg were performing covers of popular songs as well as original compositions. Ginsberg is the daughter of M.C. Ginsberg, one of the founders of The Saturday Night Free Movie Series. Thompson sang and played the acoustic guitar. Ginsberg accompanied him, both with vocals andon the hand drum. Their songs were smooth and melodic , with Thompson’s vocal style reminiscent of the popularsinger/songwriter Jack Johnson.
I have never really followed local musicians and rarely go to local shows, so I was impressed to find myself enjoying theperformance so much. I especially enjoyed the original pieces, containing quirky lyrics and soothing melodies. The performance was very low key, Thompson and Ginsberg had just their instruments, stools to sit on, and microphones. The movie screen was already set up behind them but remained a neutral grey color, which resembled thedarkened sky in the background. Thompson and Ginsberg did not perform for as long as I had hoped but instead took a break. I ended up leaving during the break and returned around twenty minutes later to find the performance had already resumed. I also found myself wishing I had brought something to sit on. I stayed to listen to a couple of songs, one of which Thompson dedicated to a member of the audience. I then left again to grab a lawn chair. This absence, however, was a little longer than I had anticipated. By the time I returned, I was disappointed to find the music portion of the night had ended. |
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