An a cappella YouTube sensation, Straight No Chaser, took to the Eisenhower Auditorium stage on Friday night to perform for hundreds of fans. The auditorium announced at the beginning of the show that photographs and videos were allowed to be taken throughout the whole show, and Straight No Chaser explained that since they were discovered by going viral, that it was encouraged to take and post videos online.

The group opened up with a stellar version of “Joy to the World,” and continued to vary its music genres throughout the show, including a Marvin Gaye cover, a little bit of “Chicken Fried” country, “Hi D Ho,” a funk mash-up, an incredible cartoon medley, and my personal favorite, the “Lady Gaga Medley” (see below). I could sit here and list their set-list because every single song is phenomenal, but I would suggest that you YouTube them instead.

The one thing (other than the phenomenal voices of each man in the group) that really made Straight No Chaser show fun is that each individual had an awesome personality and told pretty good stories.  One of the guys (I apologize for not knowing his name) told us how he visited the Creamery a little bit before the show because he heard that it had good ice cream and people at Penn State majored in ice cream-making. As the employee was scooping his ice cream he asked, “So, this is your major?” Her response: “This is just a part-time job, dude.”  He joked about his experience then told us that he ate his mint chocolate chip in silence and shame afterward. I’m sure I speak for others when I say, “OH MY GOSH, I LOVE THEM!”

I can’t entirely describe how much I love this a capella group, but I can tell you that they made my Friday night. Not only did they encore with a “Billy Jean,” “Poison,” and their “12 Days of Christmas Medley,” but they also came out to perform a second encore with no microphones and sang “In the Still of the Night.”

Afterward, they had a meet and greet, where ladies (and gentlemen…but mostly ladies) indubitably had their shirts, CDs, shoes, and chests signed. Unfortunately, I did not get to meet the men of Straight No Chaser, but I still got to see an amazing performance. Well done, boys. Well done.