Floating Shirt — a band made up entirely of Colgate University students — performed on Saturday, Sept. 30, at Good Nature Brewery in Hamilton, N.Y. The band started playing at 7:35 p.m. for a crowd of students and brewery patrons who filled the large outdoor space. The show lasted roughly an hour, including an encore.
The performance opened to cheers from the crowd with Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out,” followed by “Layla” by Derek and the Dominos, complete with the song’s extensive finish. Floating Shirt integrated the viola into their performance, which — in the case of “Layla” — added a romantic element to an already passionate song. The set list for the night ranged from indie to alternative to country, as a new lead singer took the stage for each ballad.
Senior Ellie Markwick cited “Layla” as one of her favorite songs that she heard at the concert.
“That song is one of my dad’s favorites, so I heard it all the time growing up, and the guitar riff is so iconic! I was thrilled that they did the instrumental part since that usually gets cut on the radio, and having the [viola] do the guitar solo made the whole thing [ten times] better,” Markwick said.
Junior Alisa Kukharkin enjoyed the rotation of vocalists, noting that it introduced a wide scope of musical tastes to the set.
“I had a great time at the concert! It was so cool to see people in our grade showcasing their talent, and the whole performance had such great indie and country vibes,” Kukharkin said.
Markwick expressed similar admiration for the performance.
“Every single member seemed extremely talented at their instrument, and I loved how they were able to switch the lineup depending on what they needed for a song,” Markwick said. “They touched on a bunch of genres, which was fun, and they did a great job engaging the audience.”
Floating Shirt is made up of ten members, and all vocalists — juniors Bridget Looby, Nick Enders and Charlie Hobin — belong to a cappella groups on campus. Other members of the band include senior Max Parrot and junior Tucker St. Lawrence on electric guitar, junior Sarah Cryan on bass, junior Cooper Lowell on drums, junior Julian Dalziel on viola, junior Will Kucera on acoustic guitar and senior Jason Chapis on piano.
Many came out to support their classmates, filling the grassy space in front of the outdoor stage with a crowd of cheering, dancing and singing Colgate students. The band’s love of performing was evident throughout the show as they engaged with the crowd up until the very end. However, it was the concert’s finale that really solidified the power of their performance for the crowd and for each other.
“[I] loved every second of our set, but our ending was so strong, and the encore was the most fun [performance] in my opinion! [I] loved having the whole band on stage, that moment was so special,” Looby said.
Junior Grace McCaghey was one member of the crowd on Saturday night.
“[The concert] was such an amazing opportunity for the Colgate community to come together and celebrate the talents of our own students,” McCaghey said. “Everyone was cheering on their friends and screaming along to all their lyrics. The group was truly talented and brought so much infectious energy to the stage.”
Good Nature Brewery often hosts concerts like this in their outdoor space, leaving a stage set up throughout the warmer months. The Brewery’s website lists their performer lineup from June to September, featuring local bands each weekend to perform rain or shine. Fortunately for Floating Shirt, unseasonably warm temperatures on Saturday night brought fans outside to dance the night away in the Good Nature Beer Garden.
