Is there anything more THON than Jason Davoli, Daniel Collins, Joseph Tombasco, and Steve Archer rocking out? That’s right, State College-based Lowjack was back for another year to perform an array of infectious rock songs.

The half-hour set included hits from various bands, ranging from classic rock to alternative. From “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?” to “Mr. Brightside,” Lowjack brought the energy.

Lowjack began the set with a pair of alternative jams. They got things started with Oasis’ hit “Wonderwall” to get the (virtual) crowd going. Collins’ use of the fiddle in the song was a very unique spin on the classic hit. Following the more mellow intro, Lowjack kicked things into second gear with “Float On” by Modest Mouse.

AND WE ALL FLOAT ON

Love you guys

— THONward State (@THONwardState) February 20, 2021

From there, Lowjack ran back the years to feature Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.” This jam included a nifty guitar solo from Daniel Collins, which surely got all the dancers adrenaline flowing in their respective homes.

Collins and his crew played a very on-brand song for THON: “3 AM” by Matchbox Twenty. While they may have been playing in the bright Saturday afternoon, I’m sure we all casted our minds back nine hours prior.

“Thank you THON, we love you,” Collins said during 3 AM’s interlude. But instead of bowing out, Lowjack used that as momentum for an exciting transition to another classic.

Lowjack gave us Beaver Stadium flashbacks by blaring Creedence Clearwater Revival’s fans favorite “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?” Listeners may have nearly forgotten what it’s like to be in a live setting, but this song brought all Penn Staters back to Saturday afternoons when the clouds broke above State College.

Lowjack turned up the heat following the nostalgic hit by playing The Wallflowers’ “One Headlight.” The song was tailor-made for Lowjack’s set: between Davoli and Collins’ minute-long jam on their guitars to Archer backing them up with the drums to Tombasco’s infectious piano skills and supporting vocals, this was one of the highlights of the set.

Not to be outdone by themselves, the local band transitioned to “Snow (Hey Oh)” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers before playing a perfect rendition of “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers. At the end of “Mr. Brightside,” Davoli showed just how For The Kids he is, flashing a heart before the Four Diamonds logo for the camera to see.

Lowjack slowed things down following its high tempo streak for a can’t-miss hit: “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. There is not many better way to spend eight minutes of the 46 hours listening to Lowjack absolutely kill one of classic rocks all-time greats.

PLAY FREE BIRD

(Lowjack is, by the way).

— THONward State (@THONwardState) February 20, 2021

Free Bird asks a lot during its nearly four-minute solo, but Collins’ fiddle play absolutely met the calling. The same can be said for the rest of Lowjack’s four members during one of the toughest parts of any song.

Lowjack concluded its performance with “The Devil Went Down To Georgia.” No Lowjack performance is complete without the fiddle-heavy song, and Collins showed us why he is truly the king of the that instrument.

The BJC may not have been rocking this year, but Lowjack once again put on a show that will be hard to forget!