Concerts crowd Centennial Center with fans

Many students did not know what to expect from this year’s annual Homecoming concert. But, with an eclectic mix of Sean Kingston’s Caribbean hip-hop to MuteMath’s modern alternative, most students who attended seemed to find some music they liked.

The show started with a band called Jaymes Reunion. Despite being a relatively small band in terms of recognition, it was able to capture the crowd with its California sound. One of the band members knew one of the members of MuteMath, so the two bands decided to play a few shows together.

“I thought for a crowd that mostly had never heard us that they really engaged themselves with the music,” said Jaymes Reunion pianist and vocalist Cameron Jaymes following their performance.

“The first band was like if the Goo Goo Dolls and Rascal Flatts had a baby. They had a very unique style,” freshman theater major Leah Keelan said. “They played to the audience very nicely by seeming very down to earth and as an audience member that made their performance much more enjoyable.”

Soon after Jaymes Reunion left, MuteMath took the stage. Its performance was the true wildcard of the night’s events, with the audience ranging from devout fans to those who had hardly heard of the band before. Regardless of their previous experience with the band, most in attendance seemed to immediately respond to MuteMath’s unique sound.

“I had a blast watching MuteMath,” said sophomore mass communication major Kelsey Bagwell. “I was front row and the drummer actually jumped over me to crowd surf. Plus, they played the song from the ‘Twilight’ soundtrack.”

What set MuteMath aside from most other bands, according to some, was its stage presence. The band has a unique approach to its performance. From the drummer Darren King’s crowd surfing inside of a bass drum to the keyboard player and vocalist Paul Meany’s handstand on the keyboard, the onstage antics kept the audience’s rapt attention.

When asked about how MuteMath prepares for a performance and what a typical rehearsal consisted of, Meany responded with laughter.

“You picked the band that doesn’t rehearse,” he said. “Our last show was around Thanksgiving and we haven’t played any of our songs since then. You don’t want to interrupt the spontaneity of it.”

Despite the band’s lack of practice prior to the performance, it seemed to perform admirably. In fact, when King dropped one of his drumsticks, he continued to play the drum set with his hands.

The stage crew cleared the stage after MuteMath finished its energetic last track, replacing all of the equipment with a sole deejay table in preparation for Sean Kingston’s set.

As with many hip-hop artists, Kingston’s performance began with a hype man’s introduction and glamorization of the man and his music. DJ Nasty Naz had the audience jumping in anticipation before Kingston entered the room.

Students were able to enjoy hearing most of his hit tracks like “Beautiful Girls,” “Me Love,” and “Fire Burning (On the Dancefloor)” as well as the tracks he helped write and produce like IYAZ’s “Replay.” However, to some, Kingston did not live up to the hype. Several students complained that Kingston merely lip-synced over his album tracks.

“MuteMath was great. But Sean Kingston … not so much,” junior nursing major Jessica Gidjunis said. “I wish he would have actually sung instead of talking over his deejay.”

Though he is only 20 years old, Kingston said he never wishes for a more normal life and is happy to be making music.

“Sometimes I think about it,” he said. “But this is my dream – this is what I really want to do.”

Posted by Ryan Del Campo on Feb 26 2010. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry