NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 41, No. 6
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013
FALL OUT BOY RETURNS
nyunews.com
Panelists discuss Hedges v. Obama By NICOLE BROWN
BREEZY SMOAK/WSN
A reunited Fall Out Boy comes back in full force to a roaring crowd in the Studio at Webster Hall.
Pop punk band evokes nostalgia during reunion in New York City By BREEZY SMOAK
The angsty teenager in all of us was unleashed on Tuesday when Fall Out Boy officially ended their four-year hiatus with a show at the Studio at Webster Hall. News spread rapidly online when the beloved band posted its first single “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)” from their upcoming studio album “Save Rock and Roll,” and fans were ecstatic to hear about the band’s highly anticipated reunion. The audience prepared for an evening of nostalgia as the band presented a dynamic setlist featuring their favorite tracks from albums “Take This to Your Grave,” “From Under the Cork Tree,” “Infinity on High” and “Folie a Deux.” The energy in the venue made the night feel like 2005 yet again, be-
fore “Sugar We’re Going Down” went platinum and Fall Out Boy became a household name. Once the last few people filed into the studio, the show began with “Thriller,” Fall Out Boy’s ode to their fans. The opener was followed by a rapid-fire set of fan favorites, including “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s An Arms Race,” a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” “Dance, Dance” and the highly appreciated B-side “Lake Effect Kid.” The banter between Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump in between songs was jovial and quite a change from previous shows in which Wentz served as the designated leader. With a solo project now under his belt, Stump may be trying to redefine himself as the band’s new frontman. The 90-minute setlist was both volatile and engaging. Fans clearly
connected with the songs — the entire post-adolescent audience sang along with every word. One of the show’s standout tracks was the band’s aforementioned new single, which has a heavily produced pop resonance and highlights Patrick Stump’s unique, soulful vocals. Through their renewed efforts, Fall Out Boy hopes to revive today’s dying rock scene, but it remains to be seen if these pop-rockers can compete with the rising popularity of electronic dance music. Later this month, the band will head to Europe before their spring tour starts. For now, an impromptu show at the Studio helped whet the appetite of New York City’s Fall Out Boy fanatics. Breezy Smoak is a contributing writer. Email her at music@nyunews.com.
Last night, a panel of lawyers, whistleblowers and the plaintiffs from the Hedges v. Obama case met at the Culture Project to discuss the lawsuit. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Christopher Hedges filed the litigation on Jan. 13, 2012 in response to Section 1021 of the National Defense Authorization Act, which allows the U.S. military to indefinitely detain anyone it believes is a supporter of terrorism anywhere in the world without charge or trial. Hedges and his co-plaintiffs said the section violates the First and Fifth Amendments. Judge Katherine Forrest ruled a preliminary injunction of the NDAA in May 2012 and a permanent injunction in September 2012 unconstitutional. Immediately following the ruling, the government appealed the court’s decision. Yesterday, the plaintiffs went to court again to counter the government’s appeal. The panelists included Hedges, journalist Alexa O’Brian, RevolutionTruth executive director Tangerine Bolen, Penta-
gon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, National Security Agency whistleblower Thomas Drake, whistleblower attorney Jesselyn Radack, filmmaker Michael Moore and Hedges v. Obama case lawyers Carl Mayer and Bruce Afran. The panelists made several points about their concerns regarding the NDAA. “The journalists on our panel are concerned about the illegal expansion of government power,” said O’Brian, who held back two of her articles related to the War on Terror because she felt she would not have enough protection if she was wrongly prosecuted under the NDAA. The Obama administration states that the section of the NDAA currently under scrutiny simply reaffirms the Authorization for Use of Military Force resolution, which was passed in 2001. Afran said, however, that the AUMF only permits the military to detain people of combat, while the section of NDAA does not limit the possible detainees. He also said that anyone could find himself or herself
HEDGES continued on PG. 3
Tisch professor receives prestigious arts prize By KRISTINA BOGOS Anna Deavere Smith, actress, playwright and professor of performance studies at the Tisch School of the Arts, does things a little bit differently inside the classroom. Seated in a circle in a dance studio with a group of graduate students, sometimes with shoes and sometimes without, Smith encourages her pupils to get to know their fellow classmates. Pay close attention to their breathing, their bodily disposition, the ways in which breaks in speech happen, she tells them. But unlike professors in most academic settings, Smith does not want her
students to leave with their questions answered. “The magic of the classroom is for me, for acting, a human laboratory,” Smith said. “Hopefully something happens in the classroom where you leave with a new question, something newly unsettled that you can then use as a spark for the work you’re going to do.” Deavere, who is also an affiliate at the NYU School of Law, has successfully translated her love for theater into an educational tool. This accomplishment has spoken to students, professors and acclaimed artists.
DEAVERE continued on PG. 4