This fall, if you need something more than the promise of cooler weather and pumpkin flavored everything to be excited about, look no further then the fact that all of American’s a cappella groups are back in full swing. Friday night’s A Cappella Preview concert was a complete success, with hundreds of students showing up to support their peers. Because of movies like Pitch Perfect popularizing college a cappella groups, enthusiasm for their presence on campus has never been greater.
For those of you who were there and especially those who had the misfortune of missing the concert, let’s take a look back at all of the performances of the night:
Dressed in shades of purple and black, this group started off the night with a remix of “Wide Awake” by Katy Perry and “Paradise” and “Fix You” by Coldplay. Although they have less members than the other groups, their sound was still clear and impressive. The fan favorite of their performance was their closer of ‘N SYNC’s “It’s Gonna Be Me.” The male soloists let their personalities shine, showed off some classic music video dance moves and really got the crowd involved, proving everyone loves a 90’s boy band throwback.
One of the most impressive acts of the night goes to Dime A Dozen, because they continued singing as if nothing had happened after the lights flickered on and off throughout their performance. Their versions of “Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra, “Ice Ice Baby” by Ice-T, “Under Pressure” by Queen, and “Last Dance” by Donna Summer were beautifully remixed and kept the crowd entertained. They sang through the technical difficulties without missing a beat—great job guys. The group closed with a Destiny’s Child mash up. Hats off to the female vocalist who dominated Beyonce’s solos. She tapped into her inner Queen B with both her performance and pitch and everyone there was an instant fan. Dime A Dozen was the largest group of the night, so it will be interesting to see how many more vocalists they take after the auditions.
Always a fan favorite, American’s premier all male a cappella group, On A Sensual Note, started off their performance with a “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke and “Sexy and I Know It” by LMFAO remix. As if that wasn’t enough to make all of the ladies in the room swoon, their Disney melody that came next brought screams loud enough to make on-lookers think Prince Charming himself was in the building. The Lion King, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and Tarzan, all in the same few minutes—need I say more? The boys also made use of silly props throughout the melody, adding personality and comedy to the act, which is always a strong point of the group. OASN closed with an impressive Kanye West remix, showing the group’s diversity of sound with rapping and beat boxing, which definitely left the crowd wanting more.
Pitches Be Trippin’ is American’s brand new all female a cappella group that is just getting onto the scene this semester. They did not perform any songs, possibly because of their small number of founding members. However, they creatively harmonized while each introducing themselves and the new group. Pitches Be Trippin’s goal is to provide more opportunities for female singers to get involved with a cappella at AU and will also focus on supporting women’s causes. It’ll be exciting to hear their brand new sound at their next concert, especially after adding the most new members. Who run the world? Girls.
The other fabulous and all female a cappella group, Treble In Paradise, closed the night with fierce sound. Looking classy and beautiful in black dresses and heels, the ladies kept their song choices upbeat, starting off with “Lady Marmalade” by Christina Aguilera. The group graced through the high pitch vocals, famously done in the past by Patti LaBelle and Christina Aguilera like it was easy. Their takes on “Settle Down” by Kimbra and “Wikked Lil’ Grrrls” by Esthero was also beautifully done and got the crowd dancing in their seats. Treble In Paradise was the perfect group to close the show, being worthy of the cliché saying that they “brought down the house.”
Her Campus American wants to congratulate all of these groups on a job well done and gives our best wishes as preparation for another semester of performances begins. Please don’t stop the music!