On December 11, the University of Rochester YellowJackets had their fall semester concert in Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre. I was so lucky to be able to attend the second show of the day at 7 pm, considering the first show at 3 pm sold out in three days and the second show sold out in one. Luckily, they put aside some tickets for students on the River Campus to purchase, and I was one of the first ones in line to do so. But wait. Just in case you missed it: The YellowJackets SOLD OUT two shows at Eastman Theatre, which seats about 3,000 people. This itself is an amazing fact, and I am so proud of them and everything they have done.
The YellowJackets also invited two groups from The Sing-Off Season 3, Delilah and the crowned champions Pentatonix. So not only did we get to see the wonderful YellowJackets perform, but also two other groups from The Sing-Off! Seeing three groups from this show, which had the best a cappella groups in the country on it, for $20 is the best deal you can get. Especially since the winners were there!
I will never forget the show. All three groups were amazing, and it is not even possible to describe what they did without writing a whole essay. They blew my mind away, though, and I know everyone else was very satisfied with all of the performances.
There
are so many memorable moments from this concert. Candace from Delilah got proposed to by her boyfriend on stage, and it just made the audience go crazy and tears shed all over. Aaron from the YellowJackets was singing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” to all of the Delilah girls, but at the last phrase, a random guy came onto stage and sang it. As the audience, we were so confused and had no idea what to expect. But as this random guy, who is actually named Jason, sang the last few words of the song, he got on one knee and procured a ring and proposed to his now fiancee. Clearly, she said yes. It was an amazing moment of the concert, and everyone was going wild.
The YellowJackets also had their moments of emotion with the audience. The first that got to me was when they showed a preview of United We Sing, which is a documentary filmed from their time in Kenya. It was short, but it showed so much. I can’t wait to see the whole thing. It showed how the group met all of the children who come from very little but have so much hope just through the power of music. It was very inspiring.
Also, at the end of the concert, the YellowJackets highlighted their current project that is being done in the Rochester area. They are working with kids from School 58, one of the city schools, and helping them form an a cappella group with kids from ages 8 to 15. It was an amazing story, and these kids actually got up and sang with the group for two songs! The first was “Dynamite,” and it was amazing to see these young kids get in front of a full house in Eastman and sing and dance their hearts out. They also sang for us the YellowJackets’ current signature song, “Wavin’ Flag.” They had no fear, and it was so awesome to see them have so much fun.
After the concert, everyone was also offered the opportunity to pay more and attend the after party, which held more performances by all groups and a lot of meet and greets. Unfortunately, it is finals week, so I had to make the tough choice to resist and come back to campus, but I am sure it turned out very well. Tickets were limited, but all proceeds went to the YellowJackets’ efforts for the kids in Kenya.
It really is hard not to keep writing about this performance since there was so much to it. You can check out a brief video overview of the concert here. I could tell you about every note, every dance move, every sound that we all heard, but it still would not describe how amazing this concert was. To all of those that were able to see it, you know what I mean. The YellowJackets are not done yet with all of their work, and I am sure everyone will be hearing much more about them in our near future!