Notre Dame hosted a wealth of events on campus this year that kept the student body buzzing with excitement. The highlights included a fantastic lineup of bands and artists that kept campus singing and dancing throughout both semesters.
Guster hits off the year at the B1 Block Party
The school year opened with the second annual B1 Block Party, headlined by Guster. The band from Tufts University returned to Notre Dame's campus after a brief hiatus to play a rocking concert. From the opening song to the second encore, Guster delivered a fantastic performance, singing hits from all their albums, including "Demons" and "Come Downstairs and Say Hello." Not only did they provide a wonderful musical performance, but their comic wit and humor also kept the audience laughing. Overall, the concert was a great kickoff to the school year and a fitting wrap-up of summer concerts.
OK Go show Notre Dame some love
After learning of a particularly impressive halftime show performance by the Notre Dame Marching Band of "Here It Goes Again," OK Go developed something of a love for the Fighting Irish. They filmed a music video of their song "This Too Shall Pass" last year with the band, and this year, they treated the student body to a halftime show and a concert at Legends. The band's performances were possibly even more exciting than the time Taylor Swift came to an Irish football game.
SUB rocks Stepan Center with Chiddy Bang
In an unlikely pairing, the rock band whose musical history goes back to the ‘90s joined up with new hip-hop fave Chiddy Bang at Notre Dame this year. Students swarmed Stepan Center to learn about the opposite of adults and hear the tale of a crazy game of poker. Chiddy Bang pumped up the excited crowd in what many considered the highlight of the show before O.A.R. did what they do best — croon to college kids raised on their music.
The Keenan Revue makes its triumphant return to campus
The Keenan Revue made its triumphant return to campus this year for the first time since the 1980s. The show had the audience in stitches but was, as always, controversial. With its return to campus came some run-ins with censorship due to what can only be called questionable material. After two full performances on Thursday and Friday, Saturday's show was cut to meet an "appropriate" standard. Though its future is still in question, we look forward to the hilarity of many more Revues down the road.
Student theater brings viral videos to campus
Student theater took on the world of viral videos this year with a unique live musical production of the popular "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog." A team of students put together a production of Joss Whedon's musical comedy about a not-so-evil, not-quite-a-super-villain (played by Neil Patrick Harris in the internet series) in the lab theater in Washington Hall. "Dr. Horrible" played to sold-out audiences and was popular among students, even those not typically found at campus theater productions.
Augustana closes the year with a concert at Legends
SUB ended their year of concerts by bringing fan favorite Augustana to Legends. The band best known for their 2005 song, "Boston," hit Legends to perform for an excited crowd. Luckily, the band did not simply stick to their big radio hit and instead played songs from their four studio albums, even though most students came to hear "Boston." Laid back and sublime, the California band brought a relaxed attitude to students during the last week of classes, providing not only a fantastic last hurrah to the school year but also to the SUB concert lineup.
