As the World Series victory parade marks the end of the baseball season, the sports world turns its attention to basketball, America's winter pastime. And if going to the FleetCenter for the Celtics' opening night wasn't an adventure enough, Tufts students should be particularly interested in tonight's season opener and festivities. The Beelzebubs will perform in the lobby of the FleetCenter during the hour before the jump ball.
Opening day for the Celtics is an all-day affair. Many professional a cappella groups will perform throughout the afternoon, but the Bubs have the most highly coveted spot - they're the ones to get people excited before they even enter the arena. This gives the group both the chance to sell more copies of its award-winning CD Infinity (Best Male Collegiate A Capella Album, courtesy of BOCA 2000), and get free tickets to the Celtics game. Unfortunately, they won't be performing the National Anthem this time around, but that possibility shouldn't be ruled out in the future.
This is the fourth high-profile gig in recent memory for the Bubs. In May of '99, the group sat in the audience of The Late Show With David Letterman and was then invited to sing on the air. Later that year, the Bubs performed at baseball's All Star Game (though again without singing the anthem). Most recently, the group performed at EuroDisney this past spring, singing for some 20,000 people in total.
The Beelzebubs will release a new CD (as yet untitled) in the spring, which is sure to feature some of their new material from this semester. Until then, there will still be plenty of opportunities to get your a cappella fix. Even if you can't check out the Celtics game, their December 8 Winter Concert in Goddard Chapel is only five weeks away. Their CD is available in the bookstore and through their website at www.bubs.com.
