Following recent events in support of the Invisible Children organization, N.C. State’s all-male a cappella group, Grains of Time, hosted a benefit concert Tuesday night in which all five a cappella groups joined to sing and promote the organization.
Ian Peterson, junior in public relations, worked with his fellow Grains of Time members to organize and host a benefit concert that raised funds and awareness for Invisible Children, the organization associated with the “Kony 2012” political campaign.
While recent legal allegations and controversy have recently surrounded the organization, Peterson and others got involved to support the efforts being made to release child soldiers in Northern Uganda.
According to Andi Hawksley , junior in chemical engineering and business manager for Wolfgang, all the groups were very excited to participate.
“All the a cappella groups talk, so it just became one big thing. We’re really excited and hoping to help anyone who needs our help,” Hawksley said before the concert.
The concert kicked off as Grains of Time performed five popular songs to an excited audience. As members performed the R. Kelley song, “Ignition,” booty pops and thrusts got the audience amped up for the rest of the concert.
Following their performance, the all-female group Packabelles performed three songs. Their unique mix of “Someone Like You,” “Breakeven “ and “Chasing Cars” surprised the crowd.
Phi Beta Sigma, an African American fraternity, stole the stage for a few moments to inform attendees about the issues going on in Africa and, specifically, an oral timeline of Joseph Kony’s involvement with the Lord’s National Army. The LNA is a guerilla group of Uganda responsible for sending more than 66,000 children to slavery and military service.
To lighten the mood, Wolfgang took the stage, N.C. State’s only a cappella group that has earned recognition by the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. They started off their set with an energetic rendition of Styx’s “Renegade,” followed by three songs including Blondie’s “Call Me.”
Charlotte Bullis , freshman in political science, enjoyed her first performance with Wolfgang.
“It was my first time performing and everyone seemed to be at the peak of their performance,” Bullis said. “It was really amazing.”
Following their performance, Ladies in Red took the stage. As the smallest group present that evening, they made a large impact, opening with “Hell on Heels” by Pistol Annies .
“We got involved because of Grains of Time,” said Krystal Rodas , sophomore in biology and president of the group. “We wanted to raise awareness for the children. We don’t want everyone to just jump on the Kony bandwagon, they should actually get knowledge.”
The ladies followed their first song with a performance of MIKA’s “Lollipop” and ended with K’naan’s “Waving Flag.”
“We’ve done work with the arts village and the GLBT community. Usually if there’s something the ladies in the group feel passionately about, we’ll do it,” Rodas added.
The concert ended with a performance by Acappology , who opened with “Blackout” by Breathe Carolina. They continued with renditions of Paris’s “Ooh La La,” Imogen Heap’s “The Moment I Said It,” and The Wanted’s “Warzone.”
Finally, Ian Peterson took the stage again to thank all participants and list some of the group’s upcoming concert dates. He encouraged everyone to look past the controversy over the Kony video, and instead do some of their own research and learn about the issue.
Stationed by the exit from Talley Ballroom were representatives from Youceleb.com, who donated 1 dollar for every person who listed their email address to receive updates on fashion deals.
While the benefit concert focused less on Invisible Children and more on the groups present, all attendees received both entertainment and information.