Battle of the Bands is an event that has been constantly evolving over the past few years. This year in particular marks the start of many new changes.
Per tradition, the event is held in Cossitt Amphitheatre in the evening, which is a beautiful location with murals, art, and ample seating. However, last year there were many capacity issues preventing people from seeing their favorite bands perform since Cossitt can only hold about 200 people.
That capacity decreases once a stage is added to the space. The fact that only 200 people were permitted to attend one of the more popular events of the school year did not make sense, and the planning committee decided to prioritize securing a space with higher capacity while staying true to the overall vibe and atmosphere of the original space.
This year, finals will be held today on Yampa Field from 2 to 7 p.m., which is a change in not only space but also timing of the event. In many ways, this change will take advantage of the beautiful warm weather early on in the day, allow for a more relaxed day-time festival vibe, and will accommodate more students looking to attend.
It will also give time for students to enjoy the start of their Friday and also make it to dance workshop and other festivities later in the evening.
Another important aspect of Battle of the Bands Finals, which is different from the preliminaries, is that judges decide who will move on from this round to perform at Llamapalooza. Last year, the judges were limited and measures were taken to make this round fairer than in the past. In addition to having faculty and staff judge the event, SOCC and Llamapalooza have invited judges from the community such as KRCC, as well as added student representatives from music organizations across campus. Hopefully, these additions will make the process fairer.
One thing that is important to note is that although judges have more of a say, crowd energy and attendance will be an important contributing factor. It’s crucial that people come and make an appearance for their favorite groups. Not only that, but Llamapalooza artists will be announced in between sets, which is something you won’t want to miss.