89.5 FM WSOU ANNOUNCES 25 YEARS OF METAL CONCERT
CHIMARIA, UNEARTH & OTHERS PERFORM AT STARLAND BALLROOM NOV. 18

(South Orange, N.J.)--- 89.5 FM WSOU, Seton Hall Pirate Radio, announced today its 25 Years of Metal concert, set to take place on Friday, Nov. 18 at the Starland Ballroom in Sayerville, N.J. The 25 Years of Metal show will feature high-profile metal acts Chimaira and Unearth, with support from Skeletonwitch, Molotov Solution and others. The concert is in celebration of the 25th anniversary of WSOU’s current loud active rock format, which features metal, punk, hardcore and post-hardcore music.

“One reason that WSOU has a national reputation is that as students, we get a chance to learn by doing,” student Station Manager Omar Ahmad says. “Helping to produce a large concert gives us the opportunity to learn new skills while also sharpening our existing ones. It is one of the reasons that WSOU is such a great place for students to learn about broadcasting, media, and the music business.”

Since flipping to its current format in 1986, WSOU has become an industry leader in breaking new bands and nurturing new broadcast talent. WSOU gave the first area airtime, and in some cases the first-ever radio time, to Korn, Incubus, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against the Machine, Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, Thursday and Five Finger Death Punch, just to name a few.

In the last 25 years, scores of station alumni have gone on to professional success, including WDHA’s Kim Mulligan, WEMP’s Dave Packer, Mike DePippa of Sony/Epic Records, Atlantic Records’ Anthony Delia and nationally syndicated music host Jackie Kajzer (a.k.a. Full Metal Jackie).

“WSOU has remained a key innovator in college radio and the New York market,” said Mark Maben, the station’s General Manager. “As the only station of its kind in the metro area, the 25th anniversary of our active rock format is something to celebrate. WSOU has remained at the forefront of the industry since the 1950s, and we look forward to partnering with the Starland Ballroom to create a show that produces the loudest rock, just as we have been doing for 25 years.”

In announcing its anniversary concert, the station also unveiled a new logo celebrating WSOU’s milestone. For the logo, WSOU turned to Framework Media Strategies’ Peter Kelly, a station alumnus and former DJ, to craft just the right logo for the show and format’s anniversary.

"As a former student of Seton Hall University and member of WSOU I wanted this logo to truly embody what the station is all about,” Kelly says. “I wanted it to have an edge, something that makes you think ‘this station is going to rock my face off!’”.

Tickets will be available for purchase for $17 per ticket beginning at noon on Friday, Sept. 23 at www.starlandballroom.com and the Starland Ballroom box office. Tickets will also be available to win in station giveaways in the weeks leading up to the show.

In addition to its 25 Years of Metal concert, WSOU will be celebrating its anniversary in other ways. The station will air a student-produced documentary that examines how Seton Hall Pirate Radio became a world-renown metal station. WSOU alumni will return as guests DJs. WSOU Sports will feature interviews with alumni who have gone on to broadcasting fame, including Matt Loughlin, Bob Picozzi and Bob Ley.

About 89.5 FM WSOU
WSOU, which began broadcasting in 1948, is the student-run, award-winning radio station of Seton Hall University. In addition to its active rock programming, WSOU is also the broadcast home for Seton Hall athletics and airs religious, public affairs and ethnic programming. With a 2,400-watt signal broadcast from the University’s South Orange campus, WSOU reaches all five boroughs of New York City and much of northern and central of New Jersey. WSOU also streams online at www.wsou.net. The website also features additional information about the station.

About Seton Hall University
For 154 years, Seton Hall University has been a catalyst for leadership, developing the whole student, mind, heart and spirit. Seton Hall combines the resources of a large university with the personal attention of a small liberal arts college. Its attractive suburban campus is only 14 miles by train, bus or car to New York City, with the wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities the city offers. Seton Hall is a Catholic university that embraces students of all races and religions, challenging each other to better the world through integrity, compassion, and a commitment to serving others. For more information, visit: www.shu.edu.

About the Starland Ballroom
After opening in December 2003, the Starland Ballroom quickly became of one New Jersey premiere concert nightclubs. More than one million tickets to Starland concerts have been sold over the past eight years. The Starland Ballroom is located at 570 Jernee Mill Road in Sayreville, N.J. and more information may be found at www.starlandballroom.com.

-###-

For more information, contact:
Mark Maben, WSOU general manager. 973-761-9546, mark.maben@shu.edu
Omar Ahmad, WSOU station manager. 973-313-6110, wsoustationmanager@gmail.com

BIG 4 ROCKS EAST COST IN HISTORIC CONCERT

By Gabby Canella
WSOU Music Director

It was a night of metal to forever go down in history. The four biggest pioneers of thrash metal, each with bragging rights of a 30 or more year career, together on one legendary stage in front of a crowd of thousands and thousands. Yankee Stadium would never be looked at the same way again.

As I made the hike from New Jersey up to the Bronx, I had to note the extensive number of metal heads I saw everywhere I went. Once I stepped into Penn Station, I couldn’t help smiling at all the people, young and old, men and women, wearing shirts that ranged from Metallica to Death to Rammstein to Pantera. On a normal day, it’s unusual to come across a fellow lover of heavy music, but on Wednesday, it was unusual to see someone not wearing one of the above shirts. It was even more amusing for me to ride inside the packed subway cars with all of these fans. A distant observer who was unaware of the historical impact of that day was probably very curious and very confused about where we all surfaced from.

Once I arrived at Yankee Stadium, I was impressed by the way the field was arranged for the show. The sacred infield was covered and cut off from the general admission crowd with rows of protective barricades. The entire outfield was reserved for the hundreds of fans that almost seemingly covered any trace of there being a field at all. Parallel to the score board and advertisements on the back wall of the stadium stood the huge, specially designed stage for the event. I could only imagine the exhausting amount of hours it must have taken to set everything up for this show, and equally how many hours it would take to tear it all down again.

Finally, 4:00 PM hit. Anthrax was the first of the Big 4 to take the stage. They erupted with high energy onto the stage, wearing specially designed pinstriped Anthrax baseball jerseys with the number 30 on the back to commemorate their lifespan as a band. As they played their classics mixed in with a few new tunes off their latest album Worship Music, they were all smiles— and they had every right to be. After all, it was their day (Bronx Borough President declared September 14th to be Anthrax Day). Out of all the bands, they were the most amped and grateful to be performing on their native turf. Scott Ian, a very proud and lifelong Yankees fan, was especially appreciative of the opportunity. After a solid power hour of jamming out, Anthrax left the audience fired up and hungry for more metal.

Megadeth hit the stage next. While their sound was great and they played classic favorites like Symphony of Destruction and Hanger 18, their energy was noticeably different from Anthrax’s. A few songs in, Dave Mustaine greeted the crowd and explained that he shouldn’t even be playing because he was supposed to have neck surgery, but was blessed to be on the stage anyway. Even before Wednesday, several rumors leaked that Megadeth was going to sit the Big 4 show out, but it was finally confirmed on Tuesday that the band would indeed play. Mustaine braced himself through the rest of their set and got the crowd moving, but I felt that Megadeth’s performance was a bit lackluster.

At this point the crowd was getting anxious in preparation for the ones who would steal the show away. Slayer’s opening notes sent everyone into a frenzy of the kind I’ve never seen. Moshing and crowd surfing exploded like it was going out of style, accompanied by plenty of furious head banging and fist pumping that would put the Jersey Shore to shame. Everyone released their troubles of the day while Slayer stomped and pounded out heavier and angrier riffs. Their sound was tight and flawless, much to the crowd’s satisfaction. Any simple observer could understand how much the crowd ate up Slayer from the high fives and smiles exchanged between the fans. Everyone seemed to be a whole lot more tired and sweatier after Slayer left the stage.

Last up were the biggest of the Big 4, Metallica. They greeted the crowd with appreciation for their attendance and high energy. Most of their set consisted of their early work and even a track rarely played live, Orion. Metallica brought out the big guns for their performance, including pyro, fireworks, and even lasers. The entire spectacle really enhanced the already awesome sound performance they delivered. By far the best and most anticipated song of the evening was Enter Sandman. Once the opening notes to that tune were delivered, the fans cheered as loud as if Mariano Rivera was jogging to the field to clinch the winning game. The night felt complete and made all the New York and New Jersey fans feel truly at home. James Hetfield was playful with the crowd, joking and teasing the operator who put up the lyrics on the board. Overall, the entire band seemed to be mesmerized at Yankee Stadium.

The sure highlight of the evening was the Big 4 jam at the end before Metallica closed up. James joked that the fans were following up on the jam song the bands played elsewhere, so he decided to change it up. All the members of the Big 4 came out and simultaneously played Motorhead’s Overkill, which was dedicated to the godfather of metal, Lemmy. I have to admit it was pretty neat to see so many guitar players on stage all synchronizing perfectly. As I checked out all the different musicians, I did notice Mustaine’s absence, probably because of his neck pain. During those five or so minutes, it seemed like the perfect, harmonious moment of metal coming together. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience seeing this happen live before me.

Hetfield seemed very proud of the Big 4’s big moment together. He and the rest of Metallica wrapped up the show by following up with Battery and then closing with the fan favorite Seek and Destroy. As they began the last song, I decided to head out to beat the crowd and catch an already packed subway car back to Penn Station.

All in all, this show was truly one to remember. It was a special event that brought the metal community together and redefined how legendary Yankee Stadium truly is.