When the clock struck 7:30, LANCO members Brandon Lancaster, Chandler Baldwin, Jared Hampton, Tripp Howell and Eric Steedly sauntered onstage to the cheers of the denim- and flannel-clad crowd. Lancaster, the band’s frontman, quickly acknowledged SRU’s affectionate nickname “Slip”, and proceeded to use it throughout the set, to the delight of the students in the crowd. The band played some of its biggest hits, including “Greatest Love Story” and “Long Live Tonight.”
“Put your phone away/I know you want to check it/This is one of those nights/And I don’t want to wreck it/With distractions and worries/’Bout what all could go wrong tomorrow/So live in this moment/And know that there’s no time to borrow”_ Brandon Lancaster, singing LANCO’s “Long Live Tonight.”
Halfway through the opening set, Lancaster started interacting with the crowd, jumping from 0-100 — literally — by leaping into the audience to crowd-surf. After returning to the stage, it took him only a few more songs to find his way into the crowd again, this time safely on the ground. The opening set ended after LANCO played a cover of fan-favorite “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers.
A 30-minute intermission separated LANCO’s set from Young’s entrance, letting the excitement build in the ARC gym. He began his set with his newest and most upbeat single, “Here Tonight,” a song about recognizing the good moments in life while you’re in them. His single about unrequited love, “Like I Loved You,” introduced an acoustic guitar and a blue-lit stage. During his biggest hit, “In Case You Didn’t Know,” Young saw the phone flashlights in the crowd and liking the look of it, asked for more.
The concert closed with an encore, including “Mercy,” Young’s second-best selling single, and his very first single released from his self-titled EP, “Sleep Without You.”
Streit, who will graduate in May, spent much of Sunday showing Derek Brewer the ropes; Brewer was recently elected as the director of concerts for the next academic year. He said he was looking forward to learning a lot from Streit as the night went on.
“Music is the number one thing in my whole life, in general, and it’s really, really fun seeing people who value it in the same way come together, sort of forget that they have stuff going on, and just listen to music together as a group,” Brewer said. “Knowing that I’m the one that can help provide that for people means a lot to me.”
Both young men had similar sentiments; Streit reflected on his four years with UPB as nothing short of incredible.
“Four years in the University Program Board has really, really helped shape who I am and I think it really has helped my academics and me grow in a professional manner,” Streit said. “I wouldn’t change my four years in the University Program Board for anything.”
