Although Randy, Paula and Simon were not directly beaming or scowling at aspiring pop stars on Friday evening, contestants of UB Idol sang and danced as if they were in the national spotlight. Inside the packed Student Union Theater, 12 of UB's own student performers made use of impressive stage presence to connect with the audience.
Danny Stafford, a freshman communication major and member of the student a capella group the Buffalo Chips, received the most roaring applause from the crowd at the third annual competition. This was one of the determining factors of his overall victory.
In addition to the input of three judges, the quality of each performance was decided by the amount of noise made by the crowd, measured in the front of the theatre by a decibel meter.
Stafford said he began singing in the last weeks of his junior year of high school and was encouraged to audition for this year's competition when one his fellow Buffalo Chips members signed up. According to Stafford, John Mayer is the artist who most inspires his singing, which has been said to have the mellow feel of Michael Buble and the tonalities of Jason Mraz.
The competition consisted of three entertaining rounds. In the first round, all twelve participants performed songs from a genre of their choice and half of the competitors were eliminated after the first round decision.
The second round required the six remaining singers to perform a Motown song. The hits that were selected ranged from "What's Going On" to "Over The Rainbow," a Motown cover of the hit from The Wizard of Oz.
Once again, after the curtains closed on the Motown show, half of the competition was eliminated and the third and final round began. The three remaining contestants then performed songs from One Republic, Goo Goo Dolls and Rihanna.
"I think it's a great surprise to see so many talented people here," said Maggie Jiang, a freshman nursing major.
While all the talented artists took advantage of a great performing opportunity, Jiang, like many other students in the audience, was excited just to enjoy a Friday night show.
"For me, it was really good not to have to go off campus to see something. When you're in school you don't get to see talent [like this]," said Sonam Dekyi, a senior school counseling major.
Even with as much entertainment as the event provided, some attendees found flaws in the overall production. Merrill Barr, a sophomore media study major, said that the soundboard presented a bit of a problem as well as the Student Association's lack of advertising.
According to Barr, if there had been more advertisement, the competition could have moved to a larger area on campus like the Center for the Arts or Alumni Arena, and this would have resulted in wider support for the performers.
Some students felt the method of voting by audience applause was unfair, because some contestants brought a bigger group of supporters than others. According to Jiang, the performers who came from out of the Buffalo area naturally had less support than those who have local friends.
According to Dekyi, it would have been fun to hear judges' comments, similar to national talent shows. Dekyi also would have liked to see a more "America's Got Talent"-like competition, so it would be open to more than just singers.
Megan Stratton, a senior communication major and 2008 UB Idol champion, sang until the end of the second round on Friday. According to Stratton, a career in music requires constant hard work and effort.
"UB Idol is a great place to start off with and gain experience, but if you're pursuing a
career, just know that it's an everyday thing to get yourself out there and promote yourself to
the public," Stratton said. "I really enjoy doing UB Idol; it's a lot of fun for me, and it's natural for me as well to be where I belong onstage, doing what I love."
Stafford, the 2009 UB Idol champion, advises anyone who is interested in singing to take a chance and try out for the contest in the future. He believes that any aspiring singer would have a good time on stage at the next competition.
"Do it. It's a fun competition and I'm pretty sure everyone had fun tonight," Stafford said.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
