On Oct. 14, Nate Ruess made a stop at Ohio University’s Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium as a part of his Campus Consciousness Tour. The show opened up with a performance by Saint Motel, a Los Angeles-based indie band whose single “My Type” was recently featured in the Paper Towns movie soundtrack.
Although it was Saint Motel’s first time at Ohio University, leading the crowd in a chant of “OU, oh yeah!” certainly wasn’t the only technique they used to win over their audience. Saint Motel’s sound is reminiscent of Vampire Weekend, making it easy for both new and returning fans to dance along to their hits “Feed Me Now,” “Ace in the Hole” and “Benny Goodman.” The band’s lead singer, A/J Jackson, took note of his enthusiastic fans and invited them to the front of the stage, which only heightened the excitement in the room leading up to Nate Ruess.
While his Campus Consciousness Tour follows the announcement of Fun.’s hiatus, Ruess’ performance of songs from his recently released solo album Grand Romantic proved just as popular with the crowd. After opening up with “Great Big Storm,” Ruess kept the energy alive with his songs “Light My Fire” and “Nothing Without Love.” The absent Fun. members Jack Antonoff and Andrew Dost were seemingly replaced by members of the crowd as they sang along to Ruess’s performance of their popular hits “Carry On,” “We Are Young” and “Some Nights.”
Long-time fans also enjoyed his performance of “Oceans,” a throwback hit from his days with the band The Format. In addition to his own work, Ruess covered several songs throughout the concert, including The Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” Elton John’s “Rocket Man” and Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al”—a combination that left the crowd begging for more.
After returning for his first encore of the night, Ruess declared the crowd’s loyal and zealous ovation “is what people make music for.” But the lights did not go up after the first encore. Instead, Ruess’s devoted fans welcomed him back for not one, but two additional encores—a feat that Ruess humbly claimed had only been challenged by the crowd at his concert in South Korea over the summer.
Ruess ended the show with his empowering single “AhHa” and a promise to return to Ohio on a future tour. After the fun Nate Ruess brought to campus, it’s safe to say that everyone at the show is looking forward to some night when they can see him again.