The Winter Whingding showcased the talents of the Decibelles, the Brown Derbys, and its hosts, the Rockapellas on Friday night in Spaulding Auditorium. As a whole, the three a capella groups entertained and amused the packed audience of the sold-out show.
The Decibelles performed first, including in their repertoire such songs as "Express Yourself," "Walking on Sunshine," a parody, "How Do I Know Her?" and their strongest piece, "Chains of Love" which wrapped up their program.
In a performance that could be characterized as distinctly mediocre, the Decibelles seemed to warm up to the audience only as their program progressed. In the first few songs especially, the lower parts' sound was strained and the background parts were competing with the lead, making it difficult to hear.
The Decibelles ended on a high note with Chains of Love, which featured a wonderful soloist with a strong, clear voice.
After the Decibelles' performance, the Brown Derbys rushed the stage, immediately seizing the crowd's attention and breathing life into the evening. A visiting all-male group from Brown University, they alternated between jolting into song and springing into skits.
The 13-member Brown Derbys had a formidable presence on stage, at one point dragging an unsuspecting female audience member onto the stage during their first song and telling her, "This is what it looks like from here."
The Brown Derbys primarily performed well-known pieces, such as "Veronica," "Somebody," and "Faith," though they interspersed their program with some lesser known songs. One such song was an original work about Dartmouth done to the tune of "Kokomo" that elicited hysterical laughter from the audience.
The group found many ways to incorporate its musical performance into other aspects of their performance, and vice versa. Putting on a skit about, "That tower of punctual power, Peter the Pie Guy," the Brown Derbys sang the theme to "Chariots of Fire" as an accompaniment to the action.
When the Brown Derbys left the stage, they were sent off with an appreciative burst of applause from the audience. The hostesses of the evening, the Rockapellas, then came out in force in dramatic black to conclude the show.
It was clear that the group intended to do more than just maintain the momentum and high level of intensity that the Brown Derbys built up on stage, and they did not disappoint.
Their vibrant program flowed from beginning to end, with several highlights such as, "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues," "Ain't Nothing Gonna Break My Stride," "Son of a Preacher Man," and "Roam".
The Rockapellas customarily dedicate a portion of their program, "to heighten audience awareness of social issues." The song "My Name is Luka" was about living with domestic violence and "Patchwork Quilt" honored the memory of people dying of AIDS.
The group came back to do "No Rain" for its encore performance. The soloist broke out into a tap dance in the middle of the song, one example of how the Rockapellas were clearly having the time of their lives up on the stage.
This feeling spilled over into the audience, and many people left Spaulding humming the tunes they had just heard.
