Music of the Night

Degraw, Tolcher keep students out of seats at concert last night

Carolyn Walser / senior photographer Gavin DeGraw played in Wilson Hall Monday to a sold-out crowd.

Amid enamored fans, Homecoming trinkets and flying underwear, Gavin DeGraw jammed out in Wilson Hall Auditorium Tuesday night. The show — which sold out two days after the box office opened — was well worth the ticket price.

"Getting hit by a pair of underwear was the best part of the show," DeGraw said following the performance. "I had a great time."

Senior Adam Hughes traveled from Virginia Commonwealth University to attend the show. "Since summer, I’ve been a fan," Hughes said. "I’m extremely excited. I came for the concert from VCU and I’m driving home tonight."

Although DeGraw hasn’t been on the charts forever, he seems to have acquired quite a following.

"A couple years ago no one knew who [Gavin DeGraw] was," junior Matt Bures said. "Now they’re getting airtime."

Bures’ friend, sophomore PJ Kania, said, "I saw them two summers ago in Myrtle Beach and they played a good show. I picked up their CD [there]."

Even the opening artist had excited fans rushing the stage.

"The crowd was super excitable, very giving and very repeat-worthy," opening act Michael Tolcher said.
Tolcher’s experimental rock sound revved up the crowd before DeGraw took the stage. The band seemed to enjoy the performance as much as the audience.

"I loved it," Tolcher said. "[The concert] sounded good to me; the crowd reacted favorably and I got to experiment musically and rhythmically."

Between shows, the momentum stayed consistently high with help from JMU’s mascot, the Duke Dog. Armed with a box of Homecoming goods, his antics — including crowd surfing and air-guitaring with a broom — filled the space between acts.

When DeGraw finally took the stage, the crowd erupted with excitement. DeGraw’s band members dominated the stage in red pants, striped corduroys and similar pageboy hats reminiscent of the ’70s and ’80s. Not long into the show, fans began throwing things on stage — a thong, beads and a red hat. The red hat and the beads Gavin wore throughout most of the concert; the thong he hung on his keyboard microphone.

DeGraw’s performance included a song selection that seemed to satisfy the audience’s wishes. He cranked out "Chariot," "I Don’t Want To Be," "Belief," "Just Friends" and a popular cover of Marvin Gaye’s "Let’s Get It On," in addition to a short cover of "For What It’s Worth." DeGraw’s band had a strong presence on stage, working the crowd at the front of the stage, singing and playing guitar atop speakers, the keyboard stool and any other raised platform available to them.

An excited Bures said after the show that he was very happy with the performance and that DeGraw hadn’t let him down.

Both musicians and crowd alike walked away happy.

"The shows always give me energy," Tolcher said. "No matter how I feel before a show, I feel better after."