By the group's third song, the aisles of the auditorium were filled with dozens of people dancing and clapping to the music, which electrified the auditorium along with the sound of drums and brass. Near the end of the show, the lead singer got off the stage to join the audience members, urging those sitting to get up and feel the music.
Danny Mekonnen, the 12-member group's founder and leader, said the band thrives in an environment where people can get up and move.
"We usually play in spaces where people can stand and dance," he said. "And even if we don't, there will often be spontaneous little dance parties in the aisles."
During a pre-show talk moderated by Hopkins Center programming director Margaret Lawrence, Mekonnen said he likes to call his group's style of music "Ethiopian pop."
"I think that Ethiopian pop is pretty all-encompassing, and in that of course there's some pop that's more rock and loud and some pop that's more melancholy," he said.
When asked about the Ethiopian language and beat that characterize the group's performances, Mekonnen said the language barrier does prevent an audience from enjoying the music because the band focuses more on "energy and intent" than content.
"That's the enjoyable thing about the music, watching the body find the beat," he said.
Debo Band combines classic Ethiopian melodies with American rock and jazz influences, and avoids performing covers of existing Ethiopian music.
"We feel strongly about having our own independent spirit and bringing our own energy to the music," he said.
Mekonnen said that though the location shift could have taken away from some of the show's dance energy, he was optimistic about the band's ability to engage the audience.
"It's a little bit harder to get people to move and to dance and to get up and respond to the music," he said. "But I'm always also up for the challenge."
Mekonnen, one of the few Ethiopian-Americans in the group, founded the band in 2006 after he felt a disconnect with the jazz he was playing at the time.
"There are plenty of other jazz acts out there, and I found myself not being fulfilled," he said. "I thought that if I found something closer to myself, it would be more fulfilling and I could put more into it."
Mekonnen formed the band by bringing together two distinct communities in his home of Jamaica Plain, Mass., merging American performers with Ethiopian singers.
"It's been more fulfilling because it has allowed me to connect with different parts of myself that I may not have had without the band," he said.
Andrew Johnson, who worked as an usher for the show, said his favorite aspect of the performance was the number of people who got up and danced.
Jamie Monzo, senior assistant director of admissions at the College, said she enjoyed Debo Band because of the way its "upbeat" songs raised the mood of the audience.
Brian Chalif contributed reporting.
