Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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6 THE GAMECOCK ♦ Friday, April 18, 2003 CONTACT US TT~F! MIT Story ideas? Questions? Comments? I I I J I W I I / two kinds of scholars: those who love E-mail us at gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com - —B B fl—-A. T —1 B A*, m ideas and those who hate them.” Summer music season ' BY MEG MOORE THE (iAMECOCK Fill up the gas tank and invest in a new pair of earplugs — the summer months not only entail an explo sion in the number of beachgoers, but they mark a mega-money-mak ing time for the music in dustry. Radio’s most renowned artists are hitting the road in full force this summer, drawing music lovers from far and wide to venues across the country. Vacationing fans often take advan tage of their new found free time I and plan to catch their favorite per formers on tour. Although the Capital City has yet to establish itself as a rom tine stop for big-name acts, there are a bevy of notable shows booked within driving distance during the coming months. Since its opening at the end of 2002, the Carolina Center has done wonders for Columbia’s concert scene. Having lured the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Buffett to the Midlands, the Carolina Center has already won the fa vor of area rock fans with its star-studded J lineup. The venue s winning streak of top-notch shows con tinues this summer — the Eagles soar into Columbia on May 11 as part of their Farewell 1 Tour. Several other living legends are also scheduled to make their arena rounds. Folksy singer-songwriter James Taylor stops in Charlotte on May 30, Fleetwood Mac is scheduled to play Greenville’s Bi-Lo Center on June 1, and radio-friendly rockers Boston will parade through their hits in Charlotte on June 28. Poetic troubadour Bob Dylan will also bring his so cially conscious songcraft to the Carolinas, appearing in Charleston on May 6 * - and in Ashville on May 14. Topping off the eclectic mix of classic hit makers, ZZ Top comes to Charlotte on May 10—gratuitous fa cial hair and all. On the rock end of the music spectrum, the Civic Tour brings its punK-tmgect lineup — headlined by New Found Glory and Good Charlotte — to both Greenville and Charlotte in early May. The Red Hot Chili Peppers have also scheduled a stop in the region. Touring in support of the band’s latest album, “By the Way,” Anthony Kiedis and company will spice up Charlotte with their funk-flavored tunes June 6. Country music fans have plenty to croon about in the coming months, as well—several of the industry’s top-sell ing artists are making summer stops in the South. The Dixie Chicks will perform in Greenville on May 1, while Charlotte awaits the countrified pop-rock of Kenny Chesney, who will play the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on May 26. Best selling artist—and husband to the equal ly successful Faith Hill — Tim McGraw is also coming to the Carolinas in May, appearing in Greenville on the 25th. Granted, tickets to some of these high caliber shows are not only hard to come by, but progressively more expensive. Admission prices have increased across the soundboard, and while the music in dustry has continued to rake in record level concert revenues, the money is made on the markup — not an increase in the number sold—of tickets. Summer tours also often bypass mid size arenas, opting either to play stadi ums — should that be feasible — or downsizing to smaller venues and am phitheaters. Arguably, such tendencies have left the Carolina Center out of the popular-music tour loop this time around. But clearly, the Eagles’ appear ance in May signifies that promoters and bookies have come to view Columbia as ♦ MUSIC, SEE PAGE 8 PHOTO BY LIAM SWEENEY/KRT CAMPUS Flea and the rest of the Red Hot Chill Peppers have scheduled a stop in Charlotte this summer in support of - their CD “By the Way.” The Fine Art of Ticket Purchasing Not all methods of ticket purchasing are created equal. Although most major acts route their regional ticket sales through Ticketmaster, securing the best possible seats is by no means a cut-and-dried operation. ♦ Tickets are almost always available at the venue box office. Although amid the technology age, this approach seems old-fashioned, the brick and-mortar box office is still available for your purchasing convenience - and buyers avoid the shipping and handling charges that are tacked on to phone and Internet orders. Ticketmaster also has counters at area Publix stores. ♦ If you decide to call to purchase tickets, the initial flooding of area phone lines can often be avoided by calling less-populated markets. Also, keep in mind that the Ticketmaster number in the city where the show is being held will be the busiest - you should be able to order tickets to the same event through any other (and undoubtedly less busy) Ticketmaster branch. Extra charges are slightly higher for phone orders. ♦ TICKETS, SEE PAGE 8 Bollywood in Columbia BY CAITLIN COKER THE GAMECOCK USC’s Indian students will get to showcase their dancing talents tomorrow night at the Bollywood themed Cultural/India Night, sponsored by the Indian Cultural Exchange. Many of the India Night per formances will feature songs from films made in Bali, which is to India what Hollywood is to America — except that the • movies it chums out are mostly musicals. “We took scenes from a full range of Indian movies,” said Runa Talukdar, a fourth-year USC mathematics student and manager of the Cultural/India Night. Five scenes from five Indian movies will be acted out as skits during the night, representing films from the 1970s to 2002. India Night will emphasize Indian dancing. Most of the danc ing will be modern, based on movements and costumes stem ming from Indian popular culture. The Saya dance team will be featured in two dances, both of which are contemporary — they will use step movements and even dance to a song by Sean Paul. “We choreograph the dances ourselves,” said Henal Patel, a third-year finance student and Indian Cultural Exchange social chair. “We pull them from Indian movies, TV, traditional dances we’ve learned forever, or just our own choreography.” Two traditional Indian dances will be also performed. These dances are closely tied to religion and have been performed for thousands of years. “AH of the movements have a meaning, and they are not Westernized at all,” Talukdar said. A dedicated group of students with the Indian Cultural Exchange have been preparing for the event all year, raising money and planning the acts for the student-run event. “Everyone can show off their talents,” said Tejal Patel, who is performing in the event. The Indian Cultural Exchange — referred to as ICE by its mem bers — is primarily composed of Indian students. Through various social activities, Indian students can integrate themselves into the local community and become ac climated to the university. ♦ INDIA NIGHT, SEE PAGE 8 V PHOTO Stj^llNAL PATEL/THE GAMECOCK A show during India Night, the only show of its type in South Carolina, is put on by the Indian Cultural Exchange every year. This year’s will be held Saturday night. RESTAURANT REVIEW Eatery mirrors taste of Japan CAMON JAPANESE RESTAURANT 1332 Assembly St. (254-5400) ★★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ BY MICHAEL LAFORGIA THE GAMECOCK Behind the double doors of Camon Japanese Restaurant, an opaque rice-paper wall greets you, and you think you’ve made a mistake. It looks like a closed-off entrance. Then you read a little hand-lettered sign with an arrow pointing to the right: “Door slides this way.” The sliding door is an impres sive touch for a unique and exot ic restaurant. . Inside, the windows and light fixtures are covered in the rice paper, and the decor is unosten tatious and sparing. Japanese music plays in the background. At 6 p.m., the dining room is soft ly lit, quiet and intimate, and the tables are candlelit and covered in blue cloths. The Kobayasm tamuy, which immigrated from Tokyo, owns and operates Camon. Shigeru Kobayashi can usual ly be found behind the sushi bar, preparing the delicious rolls. His wife, Shizuko, is from Okinawa. The two have managed the restaurant together in Columbia for 18 years. Their daughter Yumi and their son Shigeharu also work at the restaurant. The service was polite and friendly, attentive but unhurried. The food came at an even, enjoy able pace. The ginger salted dressing is homemade at Camon, and it’s very refreshing and flavorful. PHOTO BY MORGAN FORD/THE GAMECOCK The Camon 2 and the Llfesaver are two of the more popular sushi rolls at Camon Japanese Restaurant’s sushi bar. The gyoza, pork and vegetable and avocado wrapped in raw dumplings, served with soy and salmon and yellowtail tuna rice vinegar sauce, is superb — topped with Japanese mayon warm, smooth and great-tasting, naise — melts in the mouth. The As for the sushi, it comes served on the traditional big wooden blocks with pickled gin ger and wasabi. The rolls, color ful and well pre sented, were al most as'much fun to look at as they were to eat. I’ve heard of several different, and probably incorrect, ways of eating sushi. It’s said that Easterners brush a soy sauce and wasabi mixture onto the sushi with chopsticks and'pi slice of pickled ginger. The lifesaver roll — lemon ocado and a crab stick topped with Japanese mayonnaise — was another harmonious combi nation of flavors, and no ingre dient asserted itself over anoth er. The ^amon 2 roll — smoked ♦ CAMON, SEE PAGE 8 lemon was paired very well with the fish, and all fla vors were in perfect balance; the mayonnaise added a nice finishing touch. The candy roll — tuna, av Locally owned and operated, Camon Restaurant’s sliding Japanese doors lead to Columbia’s little Japan - complete, of course, with sushi.