Nobody forgets prom night

Unicorns and rainbows are adorning the Bluebird while a Björk cover band takes stage. This is not your high school prom.

The fifth annual Rock ’N Roll Prom will take place at 9:30 p.m. this Saturday, April 19, at the Bluebird Nightclub. The prom, hosted by Boxcar Books and The Midwest Pages for Prisoners Project, will transform the nightclub with its “Over the Rainbow” theme and showcase four cover bands, made up of members of local groups, covering acts from Björk to Bruce Springsteen.

Boxcar Books General Coordinator Abbey Friedman feels confident in calling the prom the “best and biggest dance party of the year,” as its Facebook tagline proclaims. By the time Rock ’N Roll Prom ends at 3 a.m. each year, she has to kick people out because they won’t stop dancing.

The prom all started with former Boxcar Books volunteer Rebecca Rakstad’s dream of a punk-rock prom, so the store hosted the first prom five years ago at the Bloomington Playwrights Project, then known as Vertigo.

“We wanted to reinvent the really bad prom,” Friedman said.

About 150 people went to the first prom, including four-year veteran performers the Mothertruckin’ DJs. The two spinners, Heath Byers and Jonathan Richardson, dressed up as stereotypical dance chaperones with corduroy suits and required name tags.

But there was no set theme until last year’s Under the Sea Prom, at which more than 700 attendees filled the Bluebird during Easter and Passover weekend, when many students leave town.

IU senior Ellie Schreiner attended last year’s prom and plans to attend this year’s as well.

“I am mostly looking forward to just dressing up, looking ridiculous and having a silly, fun time,” she said.

Schreiner already purchased blue press-on nails from a dollar store and hopes to find something with a unicorn for her prom outfit.

A group of guest judges will select winners who will be crowned prom king and queen, as well as prizes for most imaginative and most colorful attire. Friedman said the theme is open for interpretation and that she is hoping for wild and colorful getups.
Prom attendees not crowned for their outfits will receive various party favors. Past favors have included matchbooks and guitar picks. A long-standing tradition that Rock N’ Roll Prom adheres to is the photo booth, where attendees can take photos in front of a themed backdrop, for $1 per person.

Friedman and other individuals from The Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project and Boxcar Books have been making decorations – from streamers to unicorn cutouts to rainbows made of colored paper – for the prom at the organizations’ headquarters, located next door to each other at 310A and 312 S. Washington St., respectively. 

Although Friedman said she can’t explain the rising popularity of the Rock 'N Roll prom, she thinks it must have something to do with the diverse lineup of bands they showcase each year.

This year, four cover bands will each play approximately 20-minute sets, while the Mothertruckin’ DJs will spin in between acts. One band, which consists of members of local bands The Door-Keys, Kentucky Nightmare and Defiance, Ohio, will be imitating new-wave act The Go Go’s.

Additionally, Prizzy Prizzy Please will join forces with Vehicle Field band member and IU sophomore Michael Hodges to form a Bruce Springsteen and John Cougar Mellencamp hybrid called “Bruce Cougar Melensteen.”

Hodges said he will take on the role of Springsteen and play guitar for Mellencamp. Prizzy’s Mark Pallman will emulate Mellencamp and play saxophone for the would-be E Street Band.

“We are going to essentially go back and forth between the two,” Hodges said.
Last prom’s all-girl cover band Tina and the Turners are returning this year to play Björk jams. To top off the night, members of Whipporwill, The Coke Dares and Early Day Miners will cover late-’70s tunes as supergroup Le May.

Bluebird director of promotions Ari Solomon said the prom is a way for IU students to branch out to the local music scene. He said many students don’t get to hear a lot of talented local acts that are usually under the radar here in town. He thinks the prom’s highly entertaining vibe and the purpose behind it makes for an ideal way to spend a Saturday night.

The Bluebird will not charge the hosts for space on prom night. Boxcar Books and The Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project will split door profits, while the nightclub will receive bar earnings.

Friedman said this is a wonderful deal for all parties involved. Although she feels for the younger crowd who can’t get into the 21+ prom, she noted that alcohol draws more attendees and that no other venue could fit such a high attendance.

She encourages all attendees to show up early, as the event tends to get packed and the line to enter can be long.

And if you’re worried about finding that special someone to go to the prom with, Friedman said you shouldn’t fret.

“You never need a date, because you’ll find one there.”