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Live Local Music

Circa Survive Rock HUB

Posted by Marcus Correll on 12/10 at 10:06 AM

PSMA hosted an end of the semester concert this week to give students one final breather before they have to undergo a weekend of cramming for useless gen-eds.

Starting at 7pm, the concert opened with Erick Serna, the guitarist of The Dear Hunter, who performed with the drummer from Mercies. This was Serna’s first-ever performance, giving the Penn State students a unique and new opportunity.

Following Serna, the Mercies took stage, of which he is also a member. Mercies also features another member of The Dear Hunter: keyboardist Josh Rheault. Fans of The Dear Hunter seemed to enjoy these acts, but it is definitely no substitute for the real thing.

The opening bands, overall, were mediocre at best. Yes, their talent and passion was evident, but I felt no connection to the music like I do when listening to The Dear Hunter. Maybe it’s just me being critical of new bands, but for now I feel it was just an okay effort.

A banner signed by the bands was then raffled off and presented by Melanie Versaw, the entertainment chair of PSMA.

By the time Circa Survive stepped into the spotlight, the audience had filled a little over half of the HUB. Pushing forward, the crowd got a little tighter and a whole lot sweatier.

As lead singer Anthony Green’s high-pitched voice resonated into the microphone, Circa Survive began with a kick. Balloons filled with confetti littered the air as they began to perform songs from all three of their full-length albums.

Playing fan-favorites, Circa performed “Imaginary Enemy” and “Get Out” from their “Blue Sky Noise” album. The songs sounded amazingly accurate, hitting every note harder than the last.

With several remarks about college, Green had one thing to say about school: “Remember, if you fail, it doesn’t f****** matter.”

After returning to the stage for “one more song,” Circa Survive wowed the crowd with their biggest hit, “Act Appalled.” Their performance rocked the HUB and took studying off the minds of students for a few hours.

Thanks to PSMA and all those involved. The night went off without a hitch. Now that this semester’s concerts are over, what next acts do you think would be a good fit for Penn State next year?