The Overture Center for the Arts was sold-out Friday for The MadHatter’s fall concert. This a cappella group is most well-known for their classy red blazers, whimsy on stage and inconceivable solos. I attended their spring show last semester and was completely blown away by how perfected and professional this group sounded. Their performance this past weekend did not disappoint. I’ve met a majority of these guys before and after getting to know their personalities I was eager to see what type of show they had crafted for us this evening.
I was seated in Row R, and for those who aren’t familiar with the venue’s seating chart, these are the highest seats in the Capitol Theater. At first I was worried they’d be typical nose-bleed seats, but in fact I was able to see the stage clearly and experience their concert unlike ever before. The walls were impressively decorated with enormous red drapes, the corners hung elegant chandeliers and the lobby and staircases were illuminated red and blue; the entire evening had a lot of panache.
An anonymous well-dressed man kicked off the evening by telling jokes and playing games with the audience. While he was charming and appeared to be trying his best, in his attempts at doing so I couldn't help but feel awkward and uncomfortable when his jokes fell flat. I really appreciated his dry stand-up style and it was a fine act, but it wasn’t received by the audience as expected. Typically openers for these shows hype the crowd up for the main act and I don't think this goal was properly achieved. This could be due to the fact that I was seated furthest from the stage and couldn't catch all of his facial expressions and body language, but nonetheless, everything turned out alright and I was ready for the Hatters.
Kolby McConville started their show with an arrangement of “Señorita” by Justin Timberlake. When I had interviewed group president Jayden Cline weeks prior, he had mentioned that the show would include more ballads, and kicking off the show with an R&B song was an interesting choice. In fact, I was delightedly in awe of the entire set list. I can say this over and over but the soloists were amazing, amazing, amazing. I was speechless every time a new guy grabbed the microphone and took control of the stage. Not once did they falter during a song and they demonstrated that they belonged on that stage.
Every semester auditions are held for new members and the three guys who joined this past September rightfully earned their place. After being spotlighted with solos throughout the show we were all enamored. I wanted to pause, rewind and play them over and over again. This group really shines when they sing together, but they undeniably stand out when each guy performs individually. “Rehab” by Amy Winehouse, “Hello” by Adele, “Let The Road” by Rixton and “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye are just a few that really impressed me.
And this wouldn't be a MadHatters review if I didn’t mention Tyler Livingston. Varying in the speed of his beat boxing, mixing both bass and lyrics, mimicking synthesized sounds and trying out different genres such as trap and hip-hop, he may be one of the best vocal percussionists I’ve heard. In the middle of the second half of their show, Livingston spent a few minutes showing everyone what he could do and the amount of phones recording, people cheering and jaws dropping were innumerable. Within the set were video clips of an #AskTheHatters which was a fun way to get to know the members a little bit more.
The MadHatters are one of seven a cappella groups on campus and their fall show was extremely gratifying. They continue to surprise me time and time again and I’d be a fool if I didn't suggest that everyone invest time in listening to the talent that resides at UW-Madison.
