Though the State Theatre was only a little more than half-full Monday night, touring bands Cursive and Man Man put on a raucous performance anyway.
"It was just kinetic and full of energy," Sean Love (senior-integrative arts) said. "It's amazing, the most energy I've ever seen at the State Theatre."
Man Man took the stage wearing all white clothing and various patterns of white face paint, a usual aspect of the band's stage show.
The band's set was as much a visual spectacle as an auditory one, equipped with lighting effects, various backdrops and a vast assortment of instrumentation. Band members handled multiple instruments at once, with one member playing a xylophone, a trumpet, and an electric guitar in the same song.
Casey Roberts, a Lock Haven University student, said Man Man's stage antics provided a "stimulating" performance.
"That was probably one of the best shows I've seen, period," he said.
After about an hour-long set from Man Man, headlining band Cursive took the stage. Although the band offered a more conventional stage show than its touring partners, it still delivered a loud, boisterous rock set.
Cursive kept fans happy by playing songs off multiple albums, slowing things down at times with ballads such as "The Recluse." The audience was head banging and flailing its arms along to songs like "From the Hips" and "Gentlemen Caller" during an encore.
Anthony Perna (sophomore-anthropology) said the encore was "the perfect ending to the whole set," but added the State Theatre was an inhibiting place to see a band like Cursive because you couldn't move around or rush the stage.
Despite the restrictions, Temple University student Sean Youngman said the show he traveled all the way from Philadelphia to see was "rad," adding that he "liked all that trumpet action."
Shane Leary (junior-English) considered Cursive's stage show to be "far out, man" and said the band was "just pure intensity."
While the bands pleased the audience, Mike Negra, executive director of the State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave., said ticket sales for the show were a little lower than he had expected.
"You never know about finals week," he said.
Even with the lower-than-expected ticket sales, Negra said the State Theatre would love to pull in more acts like Man Man and Cursive in the future.
"I thought it sounded great," he said. "It looked like everyone was having fun in the audience."
He added the State Theatre does have certain "restrictions" on what performances it can have, but that students may expect harder rock shows like these to become more frequent in the future.
