The Plain White T's looked terrific and sounded even better during their performance at Legends Friday. The only thing lacking, unfortunately, was the audience.
The popular campus venue met capacity for the concert, but many concertgoers weren't really die-hard Plain White T's fans. Most of the audience seemed to have only one reason for being there - to hear the band's hit song "Hey There Delilah," and to hear it as quickly as possible.
The evening began with Chicago-based rock band Plunket as the opening act. For much of the performance, the audience socialized and harassed the band members to put the Plain White T's on stage instead.
The music playing during the break between acts was the evening's most memorable highlight for some. Everyone belted out the lyrics to Oasis' "Champagne Supernova," sharing together the excitement of a classic '90s hit. Some actually left after that song, probably thinking that the night couldn't get any better.
Though "Champagne Supernova" was a tough song to follow, the Plain White T's opened with "Our Time Now," an upbeat anthem that got the audience screaming along to its simple chorus of "Oh Oh, Oh Oh."
After the opening track, however, the crowd's excitement quickly died down. The realization set in that it would have to wait another hour for the song it wanted - "Hey There Delilah" - and the crowd grew restless.
There was a surprisingly equal mix of boys and girls in the audience, though most didn't seem to be there for the songs. Most of the guys were with their girlfriends, possibly fulfilling their girl's desire to be someone's "Delilah." Ironically, that particular song is unlike most of the band's other tracks, due to its soft, lullaby-like nature, but the couples in the audience were eager to share that single romantic moment.
Large groups of guys also went to the concert together, perhaps hoping to bump into groups of girls, but may have upset the girls instead by blocking their views of the stage.
During and after each song the band played, people in the audience would loudly request that they play "Delilah." The Plain White T's finally gave in and played their famous hit near the end of their show - or what the audience marked as the end of their show, since many left immediately after the tune's final notes.
Though the crowd didn't seem too into it, the Plain White T's were definitely there to rock, playing an amazing show. They had great energy and obviously enjoyed playing live to try and promote their other songs. Their performance sounded exactly like their CD, a credit to the musicians as great live performers. The set also enhanced their sound with synchronized flashing lights and TV screens featuring close ups of the performers. Every time the lead singer smiled, the girls in the audience screamed, giving the band even more energy. Its performance could not have gone better.
The Plain White T's gave the audience members exactly what they wanted in a great performance of the song "Hey There Delilah," but also showed them that there's far more to this Chicago-based band than only one hit song. These newcomers know how to entertain by interacting with their audience, and they could sing well and clearly amid the noise of the venue.
The audience may not have given the Plain White T's very much to work with, but thankfully the band gave its all to the crowd.
