Fall Concert spans generations and genres

With a crowd surfing Lucas, a sea of multicolored balloons and a soundtrack that spanned over half a decade, this year’s Fall Concert shook Rafferty Stadium to its foundation as the indie-pop duo, Matt and Kim, and the seminal Motown group, The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards, kicked off the 2015 Alumni & Family Weekend.

This year’s Fall Concert took a different cue from previous iterations as it moved to a new date and location and featured not one, but two headlining musicians from two completely different generations. While generally receiving negative commentary upon its unveiling, one would not be able to notice as the crowd of students and parents danced the afternoon away on Conway Field.

To kick off the afternoon, Father von Arx addressed the crowd, thanking them for their constant support and introduced the opening band, The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards. As the five members of the tribute group took the stage, the crowd erupted in amazement as they busted out the 1966 hit, “Get Ready.”

Comprised of vocalists David Sea, Mike Pattillo, Chris Arnold, son of the original Temptation Paul Williams, Paul Williams Jr., an original Temptation and Dennis Edwards, the group belted out classics like “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” and “Treat Her Like a Lady” in a relentless fashion. While boasting typical stage banter, the group pulled out all the stops at making the young crowd find themselves in their music.

As the Temptations Review flawlessly busted out their choreography, each member took turns on lead vocals with an emphasis on Dennis Edwards, who sounded just as well as he did in the 1960s. To close out their physically demanding 75 minute performance, Dennis Edwards led the group into a rendition of the famed classic, “My Girl,” which had the audience on their feet, lifting their voices to the highest altitude imaginable.

With the closing of The Temptations Review came the deconstruction of a rather large set piece and the implementation of a drum kit, a keyboard and an infinite amount of possibilities. Brooklyn native Matt and Kim took Conway Field with enough stage antics and musical playfulness to stage am enigmatic afternoon.

The duo was especially amped to perform their set, so much so that Kim Schifino twerked into the hands of the audience and Matt Johnson threw water into the crowd. Matt and Kim, who formed the DIY indie-pop group in 2004, ran through their onslaught of hits such as the party-anthem, “Let’s Go” and percussion-driven “Daylight.”

One such highlight came mid-set when Kim called out to “Carlos,” who she accidently mistook for Lucas, to jump into the audience to crowd surf during their rendition of R. Kelly’s “Ignition.” The crowd threw Lucas as well as a vast sea of colorful balloons around as the duo professed from the gospel of pop rock for a 90-minute profession of swagger.

While Kim’s stage antics disturbed the older generations in the audience such as shaking appendages and screaming obscenities, the students took in every second of the madness and followed the duo down into insanity. Each piece, whether it was the eclectically progressed “Hey Now” or the techno-blasted, “Cameras,” Matt and Kim provided an adrenaline-filled show that made all who blasted the show eat their words.

As an original dissenter of the show, my expectations were blown from the digital funkiness that entertained my ears for those three hours of which seemed short, lending credence to the old phrase, “time flies when you’re having fun.” To those who skipped the show, this was the Fall Concert of your college career.