Just so I don’t ruin Christmas, I’ll deliver the bad news
first. My mom had a choir conductor in college who harped on the sopranos,
telling them that “Vibrato causes cancer.” If this is true, then excessive
scoops give me an ulcer. Mostly, I thought these guys were a more conscious
version of boy bands, because at least they went to college (and a really good
music school at that, Indiana). Maybe I’m being a little tough on them, but
they’re getting paid to sing, and people who are paid to sing shouldn’t be flat
on high notes, rush through phrases (if it’s an accelerando, then it should
lead to something), have unbalanced duets, or have relatively thin tone. I know
that this is a more pop-like genre, and that it’s easier to tune when the tone
is nasal, but honestly, even if they found a little middle ground between this
and the more “classical” style that they spoofed (when their tone was the best
all evening), then they wouldn’t have to work so hard. I know they have it in
them; the really nice, resonant tone came out in beautiful, fleeting moments. I
just wanted more of them.
Now for the good news. I’ll return Santa to his rightful
throne. Christmas lives again, and so does the entertainment industry. They had
matching suits (with a “costume” change after intermission, by switching tie
colors), cute and poppy tunes (including Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” and Beyonce’s
“Single Ladies,” with the dance), funny choreography, random jokes, and
off-the-cuff remarks on race and religion (I especially found their conversation
“I’m chocolate, and you’re white chocolate” “What am I?” “You’re caramel!”
delightful). I’d also like to point out that the “Iowa Boy,” Tyler Trepp (a Des
Moines native), did us proud, as they say. Overall, they were clean,
well-rehearsed, and did a good job of keeping the audience happy (except the
guy who said “Go cyclones.”), and they’re obviously some pretty talented
musicians – this was evident when they did their 2nd encore, “O Holy Night,”
“acoustic.”
I’d also like to note that their Sitcom Medley would have
been exponentially better if they’d done the theme song to “Shaft.” (Relive the
memories with this YouTube.)
Really, I can harp on them for musical issues that I think
are important, but in the spirit of Christmas, it’s sometimes important to put
these aside. The most important thing we have to consider as musicians (aside
from the composer’s intent) is the audience. We play (or sing) music for
others’ enjoyment. And what I saw at this concert was a lot of happy people. I
may not always favor the more pop side of the music spectrum, but it’s these
kinds of groups that help keep people involved with music, keep the music
industry (and the art of live performance) alive, and ultimately make people
happy. If we’re not doing this to make people’s lives better, than why are we
doing it?
Your ever considerate music critic,
Kery “I don’t realize it’s Christmas until after finals
week” Lawson
