Hoping for the same results as Jason Mraz concert Winter term, the Programming Board hosted tender rockers Augustana in Alumni hall. Tickets went on sale exclusively to Dartmouth students last Wednesday at 3 p.m., but a line had already formed by 1:30 p.m. Adriene McCance '11, Programming Board concert chair, said the organization started a waitlist after the concert sold out, and 25 additional students were able to get tickets.
Before Augustana took the stage, Eric Paul '09 opened the night with an animated performance. His mellow voice and sweet lyrics provided a great complement to the harder-rocking headliners.
Augustana came out ready to play, but based on the first few songs it seemed unclear whether or not they knew they had an audience. Lead singer Dan Layus failed to address the crowd until five songs into the show. Although he eventually made up for the faux pas, I found myself feeling a bit slighted -- wondering if they even cared to be at Dartmouth.
"Dartmouth, is that how you say it?" Layus asked, chuckling. "Dart-mouth."
The joke brought a few laughs from the crowd, and finally engaged the attention-starved audience. Noting the quiet crowd, Layus appeared thrown off by the intimacy of Alumni Hall.
"We're college drop-outs. Now we've been to more college campuses than we ever expected," Layus said.
This confession introduced the angsty and accessible "Mayfield," penned by the group while they still attended college in southern Illinois. The song echoes the typical self-doubt and anxiety of any college student, asking, "Oh, are we gonna make it?"
"What I really liked was the mix of their show. They had songs with the full band, then they had a section of chill music, and then they opened it up to the whole band for the end," said Ali Herdeg '11.
The set list did, in fact, showcase the various facets of the group, from the small trio of guitars and mandolin on display during the song "Sunday Best" to the full-band sound that fleshed out "Sweet and Low" and "Wasteland." And at no point did Layus' dynamic vocals let listeners down. From captivating falsettos to a lovable near-whine, he displayed outstanding range and dexterity.
The acoustic thread-in, sandwiched between the heart-pounding selections both starting and ending the night, were particularly impressive. Features of the acoustic set included vocal performances by bassist Jared Palomar and keyboardist John Vincent Fredricks, as well as a feature for guitarist Chris Sachtleben.
Audience members finally came alive during the band's performance of its biggest hit, "Boston." In 2007, "Boston" peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100. Delaying the familiar introduction by tinkering about on the keyboard, Layus threw out the bait with those first easily recognizable notes and the crowd instantly responded. He concluded the song with a shout-out to New Hampshire and a skillful improvisation of the final lines, "Boston -- which is pretty darn close to New Hampshire -- where no one knows my name."
By the time the popular rockers reached their last song, Layus had fully settled into the performance, asking for audience participation in an entertaining call-and-response. Although he promised it would be the last song, the band relented to the audience's pleas for an encore.
"We tried to leave, but there was nowhere to go, and you guys kept asking for more."
The encore showcased a cover of Bob Dylan's "Baby, Please Don't Go," an appropriate encore to a concert many did not want to end.
"It was a really exciting atmosphere and it was awesome to get a big name band like that [at Dartmouth]," said Michael Abendroth '11.
Augustana's current tour promotes their sophomore album, "Can't Love, Can't Hurt" (2008), released on February 27.
