Last Friday, the JHU AllNighters kept it classy “in spite of themselves” with music, mustaches and merriment at their 18th annual spring concert.
The standard AllNighters concert is a bona fide fire hazard, and this one was no different as students made a mad dash for open seats, leaving the unlucky remainder to cram into the aisles and peer over each other in the back.
Bloomberg was brimming with excited spectators and the AllNighters were certainly ready for the occasion.
The most sophisticated mustache, one to be envied by even Tom Selleck, graced the center of the auditorium’s chalkboards, surrounded by the lounging Mad Men silhouette, the a cappella group’s moon insignia and the classic AllNighters night sky.
The AllNighters, Hopkins’s only all-male a cappella group, introduced themselves with a brief silent film showing them wandering around Bloomberg trying to find their way to the stage.
It was a simple concept, but perfectly-acted and brilliantly edited, and drew laughter and applause from the audience as the AllNighters burst into the room.
They opened, as they do every concert, with “Mediocre,” an original song penned long ago with lyrics poking fun at themselves and other Hopkins a cappella groups.
The background vocals were enthusiastic, but uneven and sometimes overpowering senior soloists Andrew Lelin and Adam Reiffen and the crowd was rowdy.
Unfortunately, the opening number was also the show’s weakest number — but it was all uphill from there.
Next came Muse’s “Undisclosed Desires.” This time, the background vocals were seamless, melting into soloist Paul Han’s voice, which was beautiful, as always.
Music director junior Rob Grande clearly did his job well with this number, as the musicality of the piece was wonderful, its undulating dynamics matching the drama of the lyrics and drawing the audience into the song.
One of the night’s highlights followed — “Africa,” by Toto, a clear crowd favorite. Before the AllNighters had even finished the song’s opening strains the audience was cheering, bringing grins to the vested men’s faces.
They had fun with the song, incorporating inspired choreography such as forming a mountain with their arms at the line “As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serangetti.” Sophomore soloist Ryan Thompson was perfect for the song.
University of Maryland’s Treblemakers followed with a short set as the AllNighters took a break.
They were utterly unremarkable, save for the fact that it was a legitimate concern that someone in the restless crowd might throw something at them. However, their third song “Leave the Pieces” by the Wreckers had a nice soloist, and the arrangement wasn’t bad.
Then came the round of gifts and solos for the four departing seniors.
Speeches were made, peppered with inside jokes, before each senior received an engraved plaque along with some gag gifts that included everything from Ramen to beard-grooming products to a Playboy magazine.
For his senior solo, Andrew Lelin chose “That’s What Friends are For,” a song made famous by Dionne Warwick.
It was a wonderful song choice, both for Lelin as a singer and for the bittersweet occasion, somehow solemn and emotional at the same time. He and the AllNighters were amazing, and received a standing ovation.
Adam Reiffen followed with “These Are the Days” by Jamie Cullum, the very song he used when he auditioned for the group four years ago.
It was a smooth piece for Reiffen’s smooth voice, reminiscent of soft sunlit afternoons, and concluded with many hugs from his fellow AllNighters.
Next was “Little Lion Man” by Mumford and Sons, the solo chosen by senior Mike Fellows.
An extremely talented beat-boxer, Fellows’s voice is not usually heard because he is providing percussion for the group, which is a shame since it’s pretty much dazzling.
Upon hearing the first few notes, audience members who knew the song began to titter and whisper excitedly, but they quieted almost immediately as Fellows began to sing, completely captivated.
The arrangement for this piece was also particularly impressive, and the group did an admirable job.
The last of the seniors was Sangwoo Ryu, who had been proclaimed as having a “baby diva angel voice,” something that was inconceivable until he started singing — and then it made so much sense.
His solo, John Lennon’s “Imagine,” was one of the best performances of the night. It’s not easy doing such an iconic song justice, but the AllNighters did that and more. Ryu’s solo was entrancing, the background vocals simple but poignant and the senior solos concluded on a high note.
Then there was another Charlie Chaplin-esque silent film, titled AllNighters in Springtime,
in which the AllNighters blow off rehearsal to enjoy some time on the Beach. Charmingly funny as with all of the group’s jokes, the video included junior Aidan Fisher in a speedo and was splendidly accompanied by freshman Johnny Thibau on the piano.
Phil Collins’s “You’ll Be in My Heart” with Paul Han as soloist kicked off the last set of the evening. An old favorite, the song has been with the AllNighters for the past two years, but was spiced up this time around with a slightly faster tempo and some absolutely magnificent choreo — who doesn’t love bass percussion emphasized with boys in vests banging on their chests, gorilla-style?
The number was brought away from its heartwarming origins to something both funny and sweet, like if a sitcom were to become an a cappella song.
The AllNighters have always excelled at their group numbers, and their next number, Radiohead’s “Creep,” was no exception. This piece’s arrangement was absolutely gorgeous. And “Creep,” which in itself is already a poignantly eerie song, was made that much more weirdly-awesome by the group’s subtle crescendos and flawless harmonizing.
Cheers and laughs closed out the evening as sophomore Anthony Collins threw a little country into the mix with his impeccable performance of “Boondocks” by Little Big Town, which was followed by the encore of “You Sexy Thing” with drawling soloist freshman John Thibau.
Though they had been enjoying themselves all night, the AllNighters really let themselves loose on these final numbers and you could tell that they were really having fun with it all.
There was definitely more than just a little gyrating.
So despite a couple F-bombs, alarming hip movements and overall ridiculousness, the AllNighters really did manage to keep it classy at their spring concert.
Perhaps it was because of their ironed slacks and dapper vests, but more likely, it was because of their exquisite musicality, unfaltering sense of humor and beautiful voices.
