It was a dark and rainy night. Thunder crashed. The Buffalo Chips put on a delightful Spring Show '07.
Five members of UB's award-winning Buffalo Chips received silver flasks to commemorate a graduation from campus life and from their careers in undergraduate a capella.
The Spring Show '07 was held in Slee Hall on Saturday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. Wind and rain weren't enough to keep the crowd away, and the theater was packed well past the house's halfway line.
A memorial "America the Beautiful" dedicated to the Virginia Tech tragedy opened the show on a solemn note, unfortunately interrupted by one rude reporter's ringtone. Things picked up from there.
The content of the show began with a Chips set from a previous competition. It included "This is How a Heart Breaks," "Cable Car" and a medley of Muse songs. Applause was thunderous, and chips Music Director John Sullivan turned the stage over to the Royal Pitches.
"We want to thank the Pitches for saving our heinies," Sullivan said, handing the mic to Music Director Maddi Zachacz.
The girls took the stage in reduced number, apparently having rescued the show from two cancelled groups at the last minute.
They performed five songs themed around love and heartbreak, and showed off some power despite their small size.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Can't Stop" opened their set, followed by the Cranberries' "Ode to My Family." Both had all the singers in tune enough to resonate throughout the auditorium and some obvious harmonizing talent.
One clear difference between the Chips and Pitches was beat-boxing style. The girls stole the vocal effects show, floating to the top as the stronger percussion force.
Their next three songs demonstrated some weakness with stage presence for the evening, however. Pink's "Who Knew" was performed well but ended abruptly and quietly. "Speeding Cars" by Imogen Heap and Madonna's "Like a Prayer" also culminated in excellent performances by the Pitches, but also ended anticlimactically.
Despite setbacks, the Royal Pitches were a crowd favorite and their unstoppable spirit was a welcome addition to an excellent show.
Before intermission, Sullivan made the audience an offer.
"Downstairs there are three bags," he explained, "and you can vote for which song you want to hear by putting money in them." Three choices were offered, and at the end of intermission the Chips had netted $102. "Banana Man" and "Goldeneye" tied at $51 each, leaving only one quarter in the third bag.
Henry Tashjian performed "Goldeneye" and was perfect for the role. His bass interpretation of the Tina Turner tune was spooky and haunting, yet complimented by comic genius. His gestures and pantomime got the audience laughing, and then cheering.
Tashjian was the first of the five graduating members to perform his "senior song." He chose "Superfly," a piece he has worked on for years with the Chips. He and each of the graduates endured a speech by a fellow Chip, "Roast of" style. Stories related about Tashjian touched on his gangly physique and generous nature, and drew "aww"s from the audience.
Richard Resig was next, and gave one of the most stirring shows of the evening. He performed Coldplay's "Clocks" to near perfection, utilizing a flawless falsetto and blending skillfully with his backup. Moved almost to tears by the end of the song, he was able to say only "Thank you," at its conclusion. The Slee audience roared approval.
"Brandy," sung by Nick Aloisio, was one of the most upbeat senior songs of the evening. It was one of the few songs he performed solo in his career with the Buffalo Chips, he admitted with a laugh as he accepted his flask.
Evan Lloyd got the crowd clapping along during his senior rendition of "Drift Away" and Danny Hatem's "Dancing in September" capped off the night and showcased some solid tenor range talent.
Of course, the Chips returned to the stage for an encore of "Beautiful Day" performed by Sullivan, who was unable to spread the serious mood of the song to his fellow members. In true style, the group just raised hell for the duration of the song and upon its end, advertised their house party afterwards.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
