On April 22, John Brown University had the honor of hosting the indie rock band Colony House on its campus. The university was campaigning avidly for students to buy tickets through student emails, the Here & Now weekly reminders, many Instagram posts and the dozens of posters on every hallway. Despite the effort, the turnout was relatively small with a crowd in the cathedral mosh pit and a handful scattered around in the pews. Yet the small attendance may have led to a more intimate concert experience, a special privilege for those attending, and for the fans it was a raging success.
The opening of the concert was a local band called Kin & Company. Some of the band’s members are JBU alumni, such as Jonah Thornton and John Rhodes. Their music was bright and homey, and perhaps it had that homey touch because of their ties to campus. Kin & Company welcomed Colony House with energetic smiles, really hyping up the small crowd for what was about to come. It seemed Kin & Company was just as excited to see Colony House as the crowd was.
During the intermission between Kin & Company and Colony House, the local radio station RealFM had two radio jockeys come on stage to promote their app and throw out some free t-shirts. RealFM had also advertised and marketed the Colony House concert, even allowing listeners to enter for free tickets in a drawing. More than just JBU students attended the concert, such as a few teachers with their children and members of the community. Ticket purchasing was available outside the cathedral before the concert, though it was at a discounted price for JBU students.
After waiting in painful anticipation, the big, red, neon sign for Colony House lit up in the darkness and the mosh pit screamed. Colony House rocked the cathedral with passion and energy, not at all looking intimidated or disappointed by the turnout. It was clear they love what they do, smiles upon their faces and playing their hearts out. “I absolutely loved the concert! I’ve seen Colony House three times live now and they never cease to amaze me. The energy they bring to the stage is unreal,” said JBU student Anna Campbell. “Of all the bands I’ve seen live, Colony House is without a doubt one of the best. I was so excited to learn they were coming to play at JBU. Hands down my favorite artist to listen to and definitely to see live.”
Another student, Sarah Beth Webb, said her experience was amazing and meaningful, thanks to the ease of getting such close-up spots to the stage. “I loved that I could experience my favorite band with my closest friends too! It made the night that much better.” Price is obviously another factor for college students. It is quite amazing for anyone to see a mid-tier band like Colony House for the price of 20 dollars, and for commuters JBU lowered the price to 15 dollars.
“At first, I wasn’t interested in seeing Colony House, as I hadn’t heard any of their songs before,” began Liam Baumgardner, JBU student. “Thankfully, I was lucky enough to have pushy friends, and I thoroughly enjoyed the performance!”
Webb noted, “I think for the future, I would absolutely love to have more indie bands like COIN or The Band CAMINO come to campus! They aren’t as big of artists like Harry Styles, so they might be easier to bring to JBU. And I know there’s a big indie genre of music fans on campus so I know many people would absolutely love to go to one of those concerts too.”
Additionally, Campbell said, “I would love to see other bands like CH come to JBU. Judah & the Lion would be incredible, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, The Gray Havens, NeedToBreathe and We the Kingdom would all be such a hit with students on campus.”
Hopefully, John Brown University can see the value in bringing community together through the power of music and host more bands on campus. Furthermore, worship students on campus should take notes after witnessing the intense energy, arms in the air and communal body experience under the cathedral roof on that Friday night.
Photo courtesy Shelby Brewer