The Rensselyrics held their annual spring concert, “Vacation with the Rensselyrics,” on April 4 at 8 pm in the Academy Hall auditorium. The event was a success, drawing a large audience of both students and other Rensselaer community members.
Before the singing even began, the audience was on vacation. Host Ben Esposito ’11 explained how the Rensselyrics went on a fictional Spring Break trip around the world, touring many sites and taking many photos. Esposito compiled a slideshow of the ’Lyrics “trip,” drawing many laughs from audience members. After a few slides, Esposito realized that the audience was here not to see his photographs, but rather to hear the Rensselyrics sing.
The show opened with the tune “Can’t Stop” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers—the perfect song to open the show with, as soloist Matt Catalano ’12 let loose, setting the tone for the night. Following was the song “1234” by Feist—thought to have been retired at the week’s earlier “Three For Free” performance—performed by Lydia Irwin ’09.
Taking on his role as host once again, Esposito asked that all Rensselyrics members find a cowboy hat at the front of the stage. The hat was a sure sign of what genre was to come. Becca Thakar ’10 and Steve Wing led the group in their performance of “Lookin’ for a Good Time” by Lady Antebellum. Trying something new, the ’Lyrics worked in a few smooth dance moves, adding to the country style. When asked by Esposito at the end of the performance if the Rensselyrics should keep the hats for next time, the audience gave its approval.
A ticket to this show not only bought a chance to see the Rensselyrics perform, but also to see the SUNY Plattsburgh Minor Adjustments. The Minor Adjustments opened with the popular song “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay, sung by Jeremy Mathsen. The group continued by performing a medley of songs: “A Teenager in Love” by Dion and the Belmonts and “Poor Little Fool” by Ricky Nelson, with Mathsen leading.
The Minor Adjustments captured the audience with their next performance of “Dreams” by The Cranberries. Singers Ashley Cross and Liz Conlon belted beautiful vocals that left the audience desiring more. The Minor Adjustments then asked the audience for its participation in their next song, “Is She Really Going Out with Him” by Joe Jackson. Whenever the group said “Look over there,” the audience was told to respond with “Where?” The group closed with “Apologize” by OneRepublic, sung by Nic Cappon, and “Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty, performed by Guy Szalkowski.
Continuing with his slideshow, Esposito explained how the group toured everywhere from New Jersey to Greece, encountering tiger attacks and much more along the way. Rensselyric Connor Ahlborn ’11 was up next, singing “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles. Ahlborn’s vocals drew in the audience.
Following that was “When the Stars Go Blue” by Ryan Adams, performed by Thakar and Noah Peyser ’11. The soft interaction between Peyser and Thakar and the fun dancing left the audience lighthearted.
Matt Thieken ’11 continued the show singing “Two Coins” by Dispatch, followed by “The Remedy” by Jason Mraz, sung by Esposito. Both songs demonstrated Thieken and Esposito’s individual strengths and the group’s unity. Closing the show was the song “Peace of Mind” by Boston, performed by Thieken.
The show was an all-around great success, and the opportunity to see two a cappella groups from different universities perform left audience members feeling enthused and satisfied.
