The Beelzebubs' plans to perform on Good Morning America on Sunday morning were derailed when the group received a phone call while en route to New York, postponing their performance for a second time in a row.
The Tufts a capella group, commonly called the Bubs, was originally scheduled to perform on the show Saturday morning. Good Morning America first rescheduled them to Sunday morning, then postponed the performance indefinitely in order to cover Hurricane Ike's effects in Texas and Louisiana.
The second phone call came during the mid-afternoon on Saturday, well after the group had hit the road for New York.
"We left around 2 [p.m.] to get there because we were going to meet up with some of our alums in New York City, and after a couple of hours of driving, Good Morning America called to say that they had bumped it again," said Bubs spokesperson Andrew Kluger, a sophomore.
Good Morning America has not yet rescheduled the Beelzebubs' performance. "They didn't say anything specific other than that they have lots of footage," said sophomore Eli Seidman, the Bubs' business manager. "But they have a big investment in the story."
The Beelzebubs' performance will be part of Good Morning America's feature on colleges, with a spotlight on the rise of collegiate a cappella.
Good Morning America originally contacted the Beelzebubs asking to use footage of the group from Tufts' Orientation Show last month. After Good Morning America filmed the show, they e-mailed Beelzebubs President senior Matt Thomas on Thursday asking if the Bubs could perform live on Good Morning America on Saturday.
"It was a very kind of last-minute thing asking if we wanted to sing on the show, and we of course said yes," Thomas said.
"I think it's a really great opportunity. I think we were really honored that they would ask us to perform live on the show," he said. "We're looking forward to when it actually gets to happen."
The Beelzebubs have received increased media attention since the recent publication of "Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory," by Mickey Rapkin. The book highlighted three collegiate a cappella groups: the University of Oregon Divisi, the University of Virginia Hullabahoos and the Beelzebubs. Rapkin "followed the [Bubs] around and came to some performances and rehearsals," Kluger said.
According to Kluger, Rapkin was the one who recommended that Good Morning America contact the Beelzebubs.
