Saturday: KTRU Outdoor Show At Rice University

Photos by Travis Hensley

Mister Heavenly's Michael Cera, delaying the Arrested Development movie

​KTRU Outdoor Show
Rice University
April 9, 2011

Aftermath had something of a busy Saturday and subsequently missed quite a few good bands at the 20th Annual KTRU Outdoor Show. The rest of Houston, however, didn't.

By the time we arrived, just before Real Estate took to the outside stage, hundreds were already in attendance (and the beer was all but gone), and we couldn't have been happier to see yet another confirmation that there is a demand in our city for live music festivals.

Had half this many people tuned into KTRU on a daily basis for the past few years, the station would likely not be fighting for its survival. But that's something of a moot point now, and still a touchy subject for many, so let's just move on.

Real Estate

​Aptly put by a multitude of Houstonians via Twitter, Real Estate's performance made for the perfect soundtrack to a lazy Saturday spent lying on the grass while sipping on Saint Arnold's beer. The Houston-based brewery provided the kegs that were the proverbial cherry-on-top to the afternoon's entertainment.

After Real Estate, Young Mammals began quite a riot inside, as dozens of music-hungry natives crowded the stage and nearly began a mosh pit. Sean Padilla, vocalist and songwriter for the Cocker Spaniels, could have started a riot all by himself as he hopped around to the Mammals' lively, roaring beats and riffs. By the time the Mammals' set reached its loud and energetic finale, his enthusiasm had caught on, and a dozen or so people around him were hopping around, too.

Keep it up, Padilla. We see you at almost every show we attend, and you always help get the crowd going.

Back outside, we were met with perfect weather, at least as far as Houston's climate is concerned. It was slightly overcast, and the wind was blowing just enough to make the humidity bearable.

While it was pleasant outside, listening to music while enjoying air-conditioning is hard to beat in this city. Did we mention Rice University's A/C system is phenomenal? Can we just host concerts on-campus, inside every weekend? Please?