80’s vs. 90’s

Maddy Ernst - Online Co-Editor-in-Chief

Popular Music, formerly known as Commercial Music, radiates a feeling of closeness that is best exemplified in the Class of 2020. The first ever Popular Music show, “80’s vs. 90’s,” began with a safety video, courtesy of the PM senior class. A series of cheesy skits detailed procedures for the show, including reminders to silence our phones and where to locate the bathrooms. The seniors in the video could not stop smiling, and it gave the impression of letting the audience in on one big inside joke.

Sitting down with some of the Popular Music senior class (Alix Page, Elijah Vaughn, James Bergren, Nico Cardoso and Bella Machado) gave Evolution insight into their art, the way they work, and the effect the conservatory has on their lives. The passion they all have was evident when vocalist Cardoso began to talk about the new equipment being used this year. “We’ve recently gotten a new set of equipment, and we transferred our equipment from what we call jam hubs, and now we completely changed our system, so we operate all on in-ears. Now we get to mix and use that equipment as opposed to how we had it before, which was kind of similar, except now we have more technical equipment, and the quality is better overall... or at least it’s getting there,” he finished with a laugh. Everyone commented on their favorite parts of the show, giving insight to what they love about their songs, with Page appreciating Bruce Springsteen’s meaningful lyrics, and Bergren saying, “I just get to yell.”

When asked about new happenings this year, vocalist Page jumped in with her anticipation to work on the senior song, “Freedom ‘90” by George Michael. “For me, it’s just been fun being a senior, you know? And getting to work on the senior number and film the senior intro video! ”As soon as she spoke, the group erupted into laughter and excitement, with lots of “Whoa”s and “Ooh”s. “It’s a really good, happy vibe song,” she finished. “We’re seniors!” said Cardoso, playfully nudging Machado next to him. “Each show, we relate the senior number back to the fact that we’re, you know, graduating! And that we’re gonna move on,” Bergren continued.

As far as the show itself went, the whole audience was blown away by the musicians’ talent. The instrumentalists were phenomenal, with Vaughn’s iconic playing on both drums and bass becoming easily recognizable. Page’s sultry vocals soared on Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark,” featuring a dance interlude with Bergren, a sweet reference to the iconic 1984 music video. Machado’s rendition of Cyndi Lauper’s ”Time After Time” had the whole audience swaying, and Cardoso mastered “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins. The show was filled with a magnetic energy that was hard to ignore, and the whole crowd was left feeling like they wanted to be up on that stage too. Overall the show was an unbeatable mix of high-energy and vintage madness, making it all too easy to find yourself dancing and singing along with the extreme talent onstage.