Neon Trees rocked the vote away at SLCC’s Redwood Campus for all those who showed up to vote on Election day.
“Animal,” the Neon Trees’s hit single, livened the stage of the Life and Activities Center (L.A.C.). Through the efforts of the Student Life and Leadership, the “Rock the Vote” concert was a huge success.
The concert included over two thousand fans and became the Neon Trees’s biggest venue as a headlining band. Over half of the tickets were sold to SLCC students.
They performed eight of their songs from their CD Habits, including “Animal” and “1983.” They also treated the crowd to two bonus tracks and a song they covered by INXS.
With their roots in Provo, the Neon Trees were comfortable to play at SLCC for the second time. Their first appearance at SLCC was in 2007 as an unknown opening band.
“We haven’t had a concert of this magnitude in four years,” Vice President for the Fine Arts and Lectures Board Kade Smith said.
The Neon Trees are pretty laid back. Smith was responsible for providing the food for Neon Trees. “All they wanted was chips and salsa and some Monster energy drinks…making my job really easy,” Smith said.
The tour manager of Neon Trees, John Buckner, recalled the band saying, “we’re boring,” because they don’t drink or smoke. They enjoy sharing the experiences of the band with their families.
Tyler Glenn, who eventually went barefoot on stage, is the lead vocalist and plays the keyboard.
“He wanted to have a good time and tried to make sure that everyone did too,” Smith said. Glenn said this several times to the audience.
Chris Allen, the lead guitarist, was accompanied by Brandon Campbell, who plays the bass guitar and back up vocals. Elaine Bradley is the enthusiastic drummer, percussionist, and back up vocals for the group.
Although some students left the concert before the encore number, many enjoyed the show put on for SLCC.
“Tyler is a great entertainer!” Rut Gutierrez said. “I liked that they sound good live. They are full of energy.”
The first hit single “Animal” by Neon Trees climbed to the number one on the Alternative Rock Chart on the Billboard Hot 100 of the Radio in the first week of October, and has been listed as the top five since then. It alighted on second for adult songs, and to number thirteen of the top 100 songs now on the radio.
Neon Trees has opened for the Killers in recent years but have now begun their own tour. The United Kingdom is their next stop starting Nov. 5th.
The band originated from California where Glenn and Allen were sitting at an In & Out Burger. They saw the lights on the street streaming through palm trees. Their original named was the “Neon Palm Trees,” but was later shortened to Neon Trees.
After the concert, Glenn, Bradley, and the other members of the band stayed to talk to SLCC students and fans. Each person had the chance to speak and get autographs from the band members in the foyer of the L.A.C. building.
Tyler Anderson, the advisor for the Public Relations Board at SLCC said, “The reason we bring in concerts [like Neon Trees] is to create a fun atmosphere and opportunity for students to enjoy and get involved. The concert was a huge success.”
