Passion Pit: Playing Pop with Passion

Posted by Marcus Correll on 10/20 at 12:17 PM

Last Friday night—October 15—was the kick-off for many students’ weekends as The Campus Consciousness Tour made a stop at University Park.

The night began with some rap courtesy of K.Flay and a heavy dose of blues and funk from Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears. Joe Lewis and his seven-piece band were the perfect start to the tour. Obviously inspired by James Brown, the Texas-based band played for almost an hour.

Joe Lewis made it apparent what is missing in the State College area: blues.  With more bands like this, the ever-dying music scene could make a vital comeback.

By the time 10 rolled around, Passion Pit fans were ready to get their groove on and dance the night away. And that is exactly what happened.

When Passion Pit finally took the stage along with five synthesizers and a slew of strobe lights, the sold-out general admission crowd and those in the seats knew they were in for one heck of a dance party.

Opening with a slow song to get the feel of the crowd (this only lasted two and half minutes) the band then broke into their electronic pop songs like “Little Secrets,” “Moth Wings” and “Make Light.”  The energy and feel of the band was electric as well as electronic as the keyboardist hit notes and pitches I didn’t even know were possible.

The entire crowd in the Bryce Jordan Center was on its feet, dancing with each other both on the floor and in the seats. But those who didn’t get to dance on the floor were definitely missing out as the lead singer said “wish you were here,” in reference to the minor rave going on right in front of him.

Glowsticks flew through the air as a few individuals attempted to crowdsurf but more than anything people just wanted to dance. As the show came to a close,  the sweat-covered audience was reaching its peak. But they all knew an encore was coming.

As Passion Pit came out for the encore, they appeared with Penn State jerseys that most of them put on for the final songs.  The crowd went wild to this display of Penn State pride.

The encore consisted of the best Passion Pit tracks, in my opinion. “To Kingdom Come” blew the audience away with echoes of “Na na na nana na na” bouncing off the walls. Then, of course, Passion Pit closed with their most popular song, “Sleepyhead.”  The entire concert was a beautiful display of musical ability and performance, getting every student shaking their hips and waving their hands.

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