As Friday night’s surprise performer, pop rock band WALK THE MOON graced the stage of the Bryce Jordan Center. Best known for hit single “Shut Up and Dance,” the band hails from Cincinnati, Ohio, and stopped by THON 2024 after a recent temporary hiatus.

After a short delay, lead singer Nicholas Petricca first appeared on the darkened stage alone. With just a microphone, Petricca sang an a cappella rendition of “Lean On Me” by Bill Withers, which got the crowd singing and clapping along.

Petricca was then joined by his bandmates onstage to perform “Quesadilla” from their self-titled album. Jumping behind a keyboard, Petricca introduced the band and called out to the crowd.

“Penn State, are you alive out there?” Petricca asked.

Following a warm response from the City of THON, WALK THE MOON then performed “Avalanche,” “Tightrope,” and “Next in Line.” Accompanied by bright flashing lights and visual effects, the BJC was undoubtedly booming. Attendees were also given individual light-up bracelets for the performance, sponsored by PNC.

After a brief pause for applause, Petricca then spoke to the crowd again in jest and explained the delay of the 9 p.m. performance as technical difficulties.

“Penn State, are you still alive out there? said Petricca. “…What do you do? You just keep on going.”

WALK THE MOON then sang “One Foot” from its fourth studio album, “What If Nothing,” followed by a cover of “All The Things I’ve Done” by The Killers.  

“I think it would be real good if we all sang together,” Petricca said, which prompted the crowd to sing along with well-known lyrics.

From there, WALK THE MOON performed “Lost In The Wild,” “Portugal,” “Work This Body,” and “Headphones.” With artistry and punk rock energy, Petricca danced along with every beat but also made time to address the crowd and encourage the efforts of THON.

“All the energy you’re putting into the world, doing good, thank you so so much,” Petricca said.

Following an expression of sincere gratitude, the lead singer teased the room about the closing of the set before launching into a short rendition of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston.

Finally, the moment the crowd had been waiting for arrived, and WALK THE MOON performed “Shut Up and Dance,” which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Top 100 in 2014.

Following the momentum, Petricca then had a special announcement.

“Penn State, it’s my birthday today,” the singer told the crowd, which was met with excitement.

WALK THE MOON then performed its final song, “Anna Sun,” from its self-released album and thanked the crowd for its engagement throughout the performance.