On Saturday, Nov. 17, the Yellowjackets showcased their lively performances of love songs supported by vibrant theatre effects. The visual effects characterized the exuberance of the show; emerging out of darkness into brightly-lit blue and yellow light beams, the Yellowjackets entered the stage facing loud cheers from the crowd.

As the Yellowjackets continued their rendition of love songs, I was vastly impressed with how much fun they had while performing. Their performances reflected their team chemistry, as they linked perfectly with one another in song and conversation. During each one of their performances, they rotated lead vocalists with supporting beatmakers; each one contributing to the quality of the performance. When the Yellowjackets welcomed new members on stage, their kind words further demonstrated the strong connection they have on and off stage.

The Yellowjackets also entertained themselves and the audience by planning  different challenges. After their first song, the Yellowjackets showcased a video, in which they hazed new members in a rather playful manner. The “Major Petition Challenge” asked new members to try to get as many signatures for a made-up major such as oakitecture, agricultural dance studies, and astrology. Additionally, they displayed a “Solo Challenge” where members would be put on the spot with a random song they had to perform solo. The challenges entertaining to watch for the audience, and served as a clear indicator of the playful nature of their concerts.

Later in the show, the Yellowjackets invited the losers of both challenges to do an impromptu performance of “Everytime We Touch” by Cascada. While the spontaneous rendition was far from perfect, the Yellowjackets continued to enjoy themselves on stage and entertaining the audience.

The audience, nonetheless, contributed greatly to the overall joyful atmosphere. During and after each performance, the audience would cheer for individual members, as well as roaring with applause at each high note. Even during intermission, the audience held up the playful mood and continued to entertain themselves with interlude music.

With a Pitch Perfect-esque performance by the Yellowjackets, the audience had as much fun watching them perform, as the Yellowjackets themselves did running through a number of love songs and rookie challenges.



“Heretic” is thoughtful, but falls short in the fear aspect

I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes a dialogue-heavy film, but not to someone who’s looking for a horror flick. 

Grammy Noms: Colin’s Commentary

That said, I’m always still curious to see what gets nominated. Perhaps some part of me hopes that an artist who actually deserves it gets the recognition.

Laura van den Berg comes to the University of Rochester as part of the Plutzik Reading Series

On Nov. 14, critically acclaimed fiction author Laura van den Berg came to UR as part of the Plutzik Reading Series.