The house lights fall and an array of color from stage lights dances over the crowd. Eyes, just full of tears from Family Hour, dry and become dilated with excitement. Bodies, once linked in a somber sway across the Bryce Jordan Center, break down into electricity as Go Go Gadget takes the stage at THON for the 6th consecutive year.

With their signature high-energy stage performance, a set list that bounces from top-40 hits to classic punk-pop and the vocal assistance of a insatiable BJC; the performance by the hometown heroes of the bar-band scene raised the excitement for the big reveal looming in the near future.

Ranging from an indistinguishable cover of Bruno Mars “Locked Out of Heaven” to an FTK-friendly rendition of “Thrift Shop” (that went “this is pretty awesome”) to a less-prepubescent rendition of “Beauty and a Beat,” Go Go Gadjet pulled out all of the stops for their Happy Valley following and the dancers who were struggling through the last of their 46 hours of dancing.

Go Go Gadjet proved that they are Penn State to the core, with their front man sporting a blue and white Nittany Lion 6-string while rocking out a cover of the popular home game anthem, “Shipping Up to Boston” by Dropkick Murphy. I know the song “Don’t You Worry Child” got pretty over-played this weekend, but Go Go Gadjet put it through a rock n’ roll cyclone, breathing a whole new life in the trite track and giving the crowd an excuse to uncontrollably break-it-down. The band even invited none other than the Nittany Lion himself for a cover of “Zombie Nation” that shook the BJC and left “We Are Penn State” echoing through the rafters.

Oh, and the Lion totally did the Harlem Shake. Yeah, for real.

Closing out the night with a cover of “Some Nights” and a host of THON kids dancing on stage, Go Go Gadjet proved their quintessential role in THON weekend with a wildly memorable set.