Balls'

A packed Goddard Chapel was chock-full of energy as members from the Amalgamates -- Tufts' oldest co-ed a cappella group on campus -- performed their spring show on Friday evening. Before singing, the 'Mates opened up with a humorous and original skit in order to animate the crowd and get the "ball" rolling.

The theme of the opening act was that Colin Simson, a senior member of the 'Mates, could not find his "balls," and the performance would not be able to commence without them. One of the 'Mates acted as John Travolta and was about to throw a disco ball until three other 'Mates, dressed up as fruit, offered Simson some "melon balls." After the 'Mates stirred up the audience enough, Simson found the actual "balls" he was looking for and the performance began.

The first tune produced a soothing atmosphere in contrast to the vigorous tone set in the beginning skit. Sophomore 'Mate, Jessica Sutton, the opening soloist performing Evanescence's song, "Bring Me to Life," enchanted the crowd with her soft and poised voice. A student visiting from Harvard Law commented that, "the group really has some musical ears; the singing is unbearably good." The crowd's faces seemed to concur with this outlook.

The 'Mates second song, "Friday I'm in Love," by The Cure, was performed by junior soloist Josh Benham (who sang the entire song in a British accent). Although the next tune differed in tone and liveliness from Benham's bubbly beat, the quality of both song choice and soloist was still remarkable. As sophomore soloist, Liz Macari sang, "Wild Horses," she "dragged the crowd away" and according to a sophomore Ani Bagdasarian, "She almost brought tears to my eyes."

The 'Mates' voices resonated throughout the Chapel and caused a harmonious rhythm and sweetness to all ears.

Simson, known to recreate hard-rock tunes, partially due to his percussion experience, was the soloist for the next song, "Everlong," by the Foo Fighters. His radical head bobbing motion made the crowd dizzy and some of his fellow 'Mates are even surprised that his head is still attached to his neck.

Sophomore soloist Anna Vodika led the group in harmony and mesmerized the crowd with Fleetwood Mac's song, "Rhiannon." Junior Pete Coombs and freshman Matt Reveley executed the daunting task of singing REM's "End of the World (As We Know It)," a song swamped with a rapid string of tongue-tying words that require one large breath of air. The similarity between REM and the 'Mates version was striking and the boys' ability to not only to memorize, but to perform such a difficult song was impressive.

The Amalgamates also invited the a cappella group, The Johns Hopkins Allnighters, a diverse group of ten guys dressed in snazzy vests and ties, to partake in their show. Some of their songs included Green Day's "Welcome to Paradise," Vertical Horizon's "Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning)" and Dispatch's "The General." Sophomore Kate Hoffman believed the Allnighters "were really full of energy. I've been going to 'Mates concerts for the past two years and this was, by far, my favorite."

The impressiveness of the show can be attributed to the members' adoration for what they do. "We just love to sing, and we have so much fun doing it," Macari sad.

Ending with several uplifting commemorative speeches from fellow 'Mates about three departing seniors, the audience was able to see the passion the Amalgamates possess for their singing. Each senior sang a solo after he or she was spoken about, and their collective passion for singing was appreciated by the audience through a standing ovation for their performance.