Vocalosity, an a cappella group from the creative mind of Deke Sharon, performed a wide range of tunes from Michael Jackson to Led Zeppelin to Coldplay at its concert Wednesday night at MemAud.
As the emcee announced the a cappella group Vocalosity to the stage Wednesday night, it sounded as if the microphone shorted-out.
Then three vocal percussionists came out from behind the curtains in the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium, took the last syllable and turned it into the beginning of their first song, “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ ” by Michael Jackson. The rest of the performers came out from the shadows with high energy and started dancing.
Vocalosity is an a cappella group that was created by and brought to the stage with the help of creative producer Deke Sharon, who has also been involved in The Sing-Off and Pitch Perfect.
For one number, the performers did a sound check. The sound designer had each performer go around and sing his or her part starting with the bass. When it came to the percussion, the sound tech decided he needed something else.
“I need more cowbell,” he said in reference to the famous Saturday Night Live sketch featuring Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken.
Together, the sound check turned into Led Zeppelin's hit “Whole Lotta Love.”
McKenzie Jones, an Athens resident, said the Zeppelin cover was her favorite part of the concert.
“It was so cool how they could make all those noises with their mouths,” she said.
In addition to singing songs, Vocalosity told stories as they performed. For instance, the a cappella group told a love story using only Motown songs, such as “All Night Long,” “My Girl” and “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You).”
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Vocalosity also performed a parody of The Sound of Music. Kelli Koloszar, one of the performers, was going to play the part of Maria — though she believed it to be Maria from West Side Story. When she found out that it was Maria as played by Julie Andrews, she was not thrilled.
The group started singing “The Hills Are Alive,” but instead, Koloszar sang “I don’t know the words to The Sound of Music” to the tune. The whole medley proceeded to alter the musical’s lyrics.
Not all of the performances brought about laughter.
Sandy Elliot, another Athens resident, said her favorite performance was “Hallelujah.”
“I don’t care for the medleys as much, so it was nice just (to hear) one song,” Elliot said.
Toward the end of the show, the group stripped down its performances, and a few of the performers told the audience a little bit about themselves.
Cheeyang Ng, one of the tenors, grew up in Singapore and said he was bullied because of his sexuality. When he got older, he tried out for his country’s version of American Idol and won. He started to sing Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.”
After the curtain call and a standing ovation from the audience, the cast decided to sing one more number in the traditional ways of a cappella — without microphones. They ended the night in this manner with Coldplay’s “Fix You.”
“It was a fun and relaxing night,” Gary Coombs, a professor in the College of Business, said.
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