Of all the craziness that was virtual THON 2021, it’s hard to forget some of the awesome performances by several classic cover bands. Who doesn’t love jamming out to some 80s rock music from a local State College band?

While there weren’t as many cover bands performing this year, we can still take a look at the bands who took the stage this weekend and power-rank them.

5. Vision To None

Vision To None took the virtual stage Saturday morning and truly killed its set. The cover band, which has State College roots, played eight songs in total. It included tracks such as “Castle on the Hill,” “Mr. Brightside,” and “Closer,” and other classics from the last two decades.

The highlight of its set was the playing of “All-Star” by Smash Mouth. There is nothing better to fire up the crowd early on a Saturday morning than playing an absolute banger of a song like that.

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— THONward State (@THONwardState) February 20, 2021

4. Lowjack

I’m a big fan of cover bands playing some classic rock tunes and that’s what Lowjack brought to the table. The mixture of alternative tunes like “Wonderwall” to classics like Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” brought an array of music to the table that we could’ve listen to for hours.

Customizing a set to the Penn State crowd is also endearing to the average listener. Hearing “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?” brings us back to the simpler times of watching a football game in a rain-soaked Beaver Stadium.

3. My Hero Zero

No THON is complete without a performance from My Hero Zero. This was the 11th year that the cover band has performed at THON, and it knocked it out of the park with the performance.

The variety that they bring to the table is what makes My Hero Zero stand out every year. Going from a folk-like song like “I Will Wait For You” to a modern hit like “Circles” from Post Malone always has you asking what the band is going to play next.

The best part of the performance came towards the end when lead singer Jason O talked about some of the challenges that 2020 provided us all before playing “Lean On Me”. It was a great moment and capped off another great THON performance from My Hero Zero.

2. OK Otter

Maybe a controversial number two, but I loved what OK Otter brought to the table. For a lot of these performances, it’s important what time it performed and what type of mood it was trying to set. OK Otter did a great job in both of these categories.

The cover band came on Friday night toward the end of the night and delivered classic rock hits for about an hour. Hearing some Dave Matthews Band and Van Morrison was the perfect way to cap off the night. The blog was feeling it too, especially after the live stream went dark at midnight.

We miss Ok Otter.

— THONward State (@THONwardState) February 20, 2021

1. Go Go Gadjet

Death, taxes, and Go Go Gadjet performing during the Final Four. Go Go Gadget always brings the energy and that was no different despite the virtual crowd this year. The group went from Van Halen to DJ Khaled to 50 Cent. It also played “All-Star” again, which never fails.

During the Final Four, everyone is tired. But Go Go Gadjet does a great job of reinvigorating a tired virtual crowd. It also touched on 30 songs in 30 minutes! Go Go Gadjet never misses at THON (except THON 2019!), and this was the case yet again.

No matter who came out on top, great performances from local cover bands helped normalize an otherwise unfamiliar THON. There’s nothing like ’em!