Students gathered in the Colgate Memorial Chapel Friday, October 28 to enjoy performances from the Colgate Thirteen and the Swinging ‘Gates. The concert coincided with Parents Weekend, allowing many families to attend the event.

Members of the Thirteen warmly introduced the Swinging ‘Gates, who started off the show with a group performance and then moved into their first solo featuring “Blackbird” by the Beatles. The next solo was a performance of “Something To Talk About” by Bonnie Raitt. The group also mixed in some more contemporary music, with “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” by Adele and “I’m Not the Only One” by Sam Smith. 

The crowd was then treated to a first in the history of Colgate a cappella. In honor of Parents Weekend, the Thirteen and the Swinging ‘Gates sang a song together. The groups performed a remix of “Hide & Seek” by Amber Run and “Whatcha Say” by Jason Derulo. It was arranged by senior Casey Lange, who led both of the groups throughout the piece. The joint performance was a hit, prompting the question of why the two groups have never worked together before.

The Swinging ‘Gates left the stage and the Thirteen began their portion of the show. Solos included “Practice What You Preach” by Barry White, “If I Ever Fall in Love” by Shai and “7 Years” by Lukas Graham. 

In the middle of their set, senior Joseph Baez introduced some mid-show entertainment to break up all of the ballads. He invited the group’s “New Boys” on stage to lighten the mood and tell a few jokes.

The boys performed a skit in which they pretended to be their future selves, 60 years after having graduated from Colgate. One joked that he wished he could go back in time and attend Colgate again, back when life was easy and life’s biggest concern was someone stealing your Jug Jacket.

After the skit, which received many laughs and a big round of applause, the Thirteen announced that it was their 75th anniversary. They also presented the “New Boys” with their own custom maroon jackets, as a reward for all of the hard work they had put into the demanding group. The Thirteen finished with their traditional finale, “Good Bye, My Coney Island Baby.”

The entire performance, from the songs to the skits, was well received by attendees.

“I liked that both groups showcased all of the different voices they had,” sophomore Maggie Dunn said.

Both the Swinging ‘Gates and the Thirteen’s hard work and dedication to their craft was apparent to all.

“I think it was really cool to see what the a cappella groups have been working on all semester, and you can tell how hard they’ve worked. The arrangements were really good,” sophomore Maeve Daley said.