So yeah, The Friars. I’m not exactly sure how to say this, and it kills me to do so, but this show was not all we thought it would be. I had seen some stuff from the Friars before, and I’ve seen many of the other a Capella groups on campus, but this concert did not live up to my expectations or the level of talent of the other groups. It was really sad too, because the Friars have always been a really talented and entertaining group full of laughs and craziness with amazing voices. This year they do have very talented singers still, but there were fewer. And the show wasn’t as funny as in earlier years. Don’t get me wrong, we still enjoyed ourselves. The songs were still original and funny.
I think the main issue with the performance was that the group tried singing way too high. They needed to take a lot of the songs down at least an octave. There were so many songs that are song in a high pitch, but these guys all had low voices and sounded pitchy trying to reach the notes. Their voices cracked and they just needed to sing some lower keys.
There were some amazing parts though. The original songs were the best. They were funny and they were sung really well. “Facebook Me” to the tune of “Lean on Me” was really funny and we all laughed so much, plus they had one of the best singers solo for it. And then “We are the Nerds” based on “We are the World” was hilarious. We were rolling (not literally but it is a fun expression). The song is very clever and makes fun of nerds in the best kind of way. Another one that did the same thing was “How to Get a Life” sung to “How to Save a Life”. It was wonderful. Those were my favorite songs for the night because of their comedy and the talent of the soloists that sang them.
I’m sure the Friars will develop more as the year passes, they just hit a rough patch for this concert. I won’t stop supporting them; the Friars are a 55 year old Michigan tradition. It was a lot of fun and they raised a substantial amount of money for Dance Marathon and all of the Mott’s children that they support. As usual, I want to encourage everyone to go out to concerts, plays, performances, and other art events throughout the year. Relieve some exam stress, have some fun with friends, take a night off from partying, and go support some of your fellow students, colleagues, friends, and faculty. It’s a great time no matter what.
As always,
This is Danny Fob: Artist and Art Reviewer
