The air in the Glenn Miller Ballroom was clouded with fog and the floor scattered with a handful of people. The minutes counted down f0r the performances at the University of Colorado’s homecoming concert to begin, the anticipation in the room palpable as friends laughed together and buzzed with excitement.
Finally, the lights dimmed and the first opener, Jerney, introduced himself to the crowd. He impressed the audience with skilled rap verses, which were complemented by the colorful fog that surrounded the stage.
Splyt, the second opener and a Denver native, stepped out onto the stage and immediately established a connection to the CU students by starting the chant, “It sucks to be a CSU Ram.”
The audience’s attention was held by the energy that exuded from Splyt’s performance. “All For Nothing,” one of Splyt’s crowd-favorites, focused on party girls, while Splyt’s last song of the night centered around his personal ties to Denver.
The energy on the stage was infectious, spreading from the overly eager fans in the front to the people at the merchandise table in the back, making everyone in the room rock back and forth to the beat. Splyt’s overall message of the night was to forget about tomorrow’s obligations and focus on feeling the music.
As the opening performances winded down, music played in order to maintain the crowd’s energy while purple ethereal lights gleamed from the stage. All at once the lights dimmed, the music stopped and the beginning notes of Radical Something’s “Escape” floated through the air. Immediately, the room’s energy amplified and everyone lost themselves to the feeling of the music.
As the set progressed, the band performed “Say Yes” and “Cheap Drink,” both melodies that begged for crowd participation, the audience singing along to every word. Radical Something utilized their undeniable stage presence and treated their set as if they were playing it for a jam-packed arena, not a moderately-sized room full of college students.
The band carried on with their set, playing “Cali Get Down” and “We Were Just Kids,” connecting to their California roots. Intermittently throughout their set, they mentioned their personal connection to the Bay area, to which the Californian students responded with cheers.
As the night started winding down, Radical Something played a more heartfelt song, connecting all of the people in the room. As “Sun Down” played, the audience wrapped their arms around one another, letting the music do what music is supposed to. The crowd sang, “We’ve gotta stay together til’ the sun comes down” in unison, warming the air with a sense of community.
After the final song, the band came out for a second time, after encouragement from the still-buzzing crowd, to perform “Be Easy” and “Paradise in You.” The night ended with a dance party, the band encouraging people to come onto the stage and dance during the last song.
The band fed off of the positive energy radiating from the audience.
“You guys plugged the electricity into our hearts,” vocalist and guitarist Alex “Loggy” Lagemann yelled.
The feeling was mutual. Everyone left with a blissful smile on their face.
Contact CU Independent News Staff Writer Noelle Coultrip at Noelle.Coultrip@colorado.edu
