Shawn Campbell doesn’t know what to wear on Saturday. She says she’s deciding between a little black number that seems like it’s from 1985 and a 1960s strapless, taffeta gown in aqua.
Campbell is going to a prom on Saturday, but she won’t be throwing caution to the wind and asking a faculty chaperone to dance because, well, there won’t be one. And she won’t be sharing a bottle of champagne with nine others in a limo on the way. After all, she’s not an alcohol-deprived high school senior.
So no, Campbell will not have to shake the glitter off of her corsage. She will not nervously reapply lipstick in the ladies room while her date waits by the hors d’oeurves.
This Saturday, Campbell will be attending the WLUW Indie Rock Prom, a dance featuring live bands and DJ’d by the radio station’s own disc jockeys.
Campbell has more than an outfit to think about in the days before the prom. As WLUW’s Program Director, and one of the Loyola University’s two full-time employees, Campbell is carefully ensuring that the prom be a magical night for everyone.
“It’s the prom that you wish you had in high school,” Campbell says. “We’re going to do it up with crepe paper, balloons and punch.”
In addition to decorations that might put a high school prom committee to shame, the WLUW prom music will not be provided by amateur rockers or a greasy-haired techno DJ. Instead, guests can dance the night away to performances by the National Trust, Scotland Yard Gospel Choir and the Life During Wartime DJs.
The National Trust, an indie-soul outfit, will take the stage at 9:30 p.m., Campbell says. Local band Scotland Yard Gospel Choir is set to play at 11 p.m., and their sweet chamber pop may assist more than a few couples making the leap from commenting on the punch to twirling on the dance floor.
Elia, SYGC’s main vocalist and songwriter, who also plays guitars, keyboard and harmonica for the band, recalls that the theme of his own prom was “If Only for One Night,” and that afterward, he went bowling with his date. What will he be wearing this Saturday? “I always wear a suit for shows anyway, so I’m just going to amp it up a little bit,” Elia says.
Elia is looking forward to the Polaroid photo booth, he says. And as couples pose – maybe in the classic awkward reach-around hug – the backdrop of the booth will gracefully complement them with an image Campbell describes as “mountains with a blue, green and white sky”.
SYGC has more than corsages to deal with. They also must plan their set. Elia says that most songs will be their own, but reveals that “we’ve got a couple of special prom gems.”
SYGC singer and guitarist Stephanie Morris chimes in. “They’re secret,” she says.
The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir members are eager to be involved not only because they like spotlight dances and spiked punch. WLUW has exposed SYGC to new bands and plays but also because “music I actually want to listen to,” Elia says.
The Indie Rock Prom is a benefit event for the radio station, which procures its entire operating budget from fundraising.
WLUW means more to the band than quality programming, Morris says. “They really support local bands here in town,” she says. “You see them out at shows. They really care about music.”
This is not the first prom WLUW has hosted. In 2002, the radio station held a prom at the now defunct Rainbo Roller Rink. It was a success, but the center has since been torn down. This is the second prom hosted by the station. The Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave., which is providing some assistance for the event, has hosted a prom in the past, Campbell says.
Elia says he is looking forward to the show because it is all-ages. Guests will include his little sister and her friends, he says. Campbell, too, is excited for the crowd the show will draw. “I think it will be a crowd of music lovers and people who are looking for something different,” Campbell says.
“So many people had bad (prom) experiences in high school, and this sort of gives people the chance to redeem themselves from the cheesy cover band and the gross blue tuxedo,” Campbell says. “Maybe they could wear the gross blue tuxedo, but wear it ironically and get a prize.”
Special memories can be made this Sat., May 13, when doors open at 8:30 p.m. The prom, at Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie Ave., costs $15 for those going stag, $25 for couples. Advance tickets are available online at emptybottle.com.
Medill sophomore Megan Brown is a PLAY writer. She can be reached at [email protected].
