Rain soaked the ground tonight as students feasted on a carnival dinner of hamburgers, corn dogs, cotton candy and more. But a little wet grass was not enough to prevent students from filling up the amphitheater for the university’s Welcome Back Concert.
The concert, sponsored by BLUE, featured Clarensau, a trio from Wichita, Kan., strapped with two guitars and breathtaking harmonies. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Tyler Clarensau, vocalist Sally Caggiano, and her husband and guitarist Tyler Caggiano.
The campus was first introduced to Clarensau through junior Allison Harper and junior Jared DeFriese’s performance of “Summer’s Love Song,” a track from Clarensau’s debut album “Until Our Lungs Give,” at the Talent Show last spring.
It was also last spring when Tyler Clarensau said they first knew they wanted to play a show for JBU. The band had just performed in Tulsa and a small group of students had travelled to see them play.
“We wrote on our Facebook, ‘Hey, we need to come play at JBU apparently.’” Clarensau said. “We have at least nine friends there.”
The three did not disappoint tonight, as many students stayed through the dreary weather to clap and sing along to the band’s fluid melodies.
“I ran across their music last summer,” said senior Megan Moody. “I just loved their acoustic sound, and they didn’t fail to deliver. They had a fantastic show and great songs. And, they had a great balance of their old stuff and a debut of their new stuff, which was exciting.”
First time listeners such as sophomore Kelsey Rea also enjoyed the band’s performance.
“I really liked their sound,” Rea said. “It was really chill and good, and they sounded like great people.”