Hidden in a little corner right above the Panda Express sushi stand was the set up for the second installation of SPA’s Noontime Concert Series. On Friday? Charlotte Sometimes took the stage with a pianist, her voice, and a guitar.

If you’re not familiar with Charlotte Sometimes, you’re not alone, since she’s been off the mainstream radar in recent years. Back in 2008, she was featured in Alternative Press Magazine’s ‘100 Bands You Need to Know’ list. She was also featured on VH1 as one of their ‘You Oughta Know’ artists. She also performed during the 2008 Vans Warped Tour on every date.

The last time I listened to her was back in 2009, and that was with the big hit that put her in the spotlight, ‘How I Could Just Kill a Man.’ However, the Concert Series gave me another chance to listen to her music,  including songs off of her latest release, ‘The Wait.’ Within the first three songs, it was clear that the songs she started performing took a much different tone than the ones off of her debut album, ‘Waves and the Both of Us,’ which were incredibly poppy and upbeat.

Her set was relatively chill, which made for a great break between hectic classes. She even broke out into a unique cover of Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream’ as well as The Postal Service’s ‘Such Great Heights.’ When she started singing, I picked up a Meiko meets Regina Spektor vibe from her. It was incredibly mellow and the crowd loved every bit of it. She even had several witty remarks that left the audience laughing. Her voice was really something that made her stand out in the noisy HUB. Her voice carried so well that she probably could have performed sans microphone. Charlotte killed it on stage.

During her set, she brought up a story about the last time she played Penn State, when a random guy came up to her in the middle of a set and said “You’re gonna do big things!” and asked her to sign his notebook. “I will always love you Penn State stalker!”

Overall, her show was  a great way to spend a Friday afternoon lunch break. I enjoyed her set very much, as did the crowd.  Charlotte was witty, entertaining, and obviously a huge crowd-pleaser.