Harmony and rhythm filled the air of Devlin 008 Saturday night as Boston College's own Acoustics performed their "Mafia Cafe." Directed by David Cobiella, LSOE '09, the Acoustics put on a stellar performance of a cappella interpretations of modern songs for a 90-minute set that included songs and skits. Despite the BC ice hockey game and football game on TV, the room was still about 75 percent full for the show, including many parents and Acoustics alumni.
The show opened up about 10 minutes late when Cobiella, dressed as an aging Mafioso, introduced the group as his "family" and instructed the audience to "enjoy the show, or else." They opened their set with a rendition of football game favorite "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey, which got the audience clapping along and featured an excellent vocalization of the song's guitar solo as well as great use of dynamics on the part of the accompanying singers to build the song's chorus. Next came Dexter Freebish's "Twilight" and "One Sweet Love" by Sara Bareilles.
One of the performance's highlights came when Vanessa Silva, A&S '12, took the lead on the Acoustics debut of "4 Minutes" by Madonna. The accompanists did an outstanding job of singing Timbaland's synthesizer riff, and the group even took some artistic liberties with the song, mashing it up with "Tearing Up My Heart" by 'N Sync.
Next came the first skit of the night, in which guests at a stereotypically Italian wedding, including Super Mario, all thanked the fairy godfather for having them. After getting some laughs out of the audience, the group continued on with the set, which reached another high point when Branden Getchell, A&S '11, soloed on a great merger of two Montell Jordan hits, starting and ending with "Get It On Tonite" and inserting "This Is How We Do It" in the middle. This got the audience clapping along, and some people in the front row were even dancing in their seats.
The set continued to flow along with a smooth rendition of Frank Sinatra classic, "Come Fly With Me" and "Hometown Glory" by Adele. Next came one of the night's best numbers, "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder, featuring soloist Brenden Dougherty, A&S '10, who along with bringing his own personal cheering section did a fantastic job of channeling Stevie Wonder; the song elicited applause from the audience even while he was still singing.
After a brief intermission and costume change, the show went on with "When I Get You Alone" by Thicke, soloed by Bob Regan, A&S '09, and a great version of Pat Benatar's "Love Is A Battlefield," which, despite some microphone malfunctions midway through, still excited the audience.
The night's second skit came next, a spoof of American Idol called "Mafia Assassin," in which the Cookie Monster, Eminem, and an overeager Lynch School student who wanted to solve conflicts in a nonviolent manner, all auditioned for a job in the mob. Three recent songs, "Valerie" by Amy Winehouse, "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol, and Toby Lightman's "Holding Me Down," all followed, getting strong audience reactions.
The two best songs of the night came toward the end, when Vanessa Silva, A&S '12, did a stellar solo on Alicia Keys' "Wreckless Love," getting a standing ovation from the crowd and establishing herself as a rising star of the group. Cobiella returned to the lead for the final official song of the night, "All These Things That I've Done" by The Killers, which proved to be an audience as well as group favorite.
To close out the successful night, Acoustics alumni joined the current members on stage to sing "Climb On," a song that has been with the Acoustics longer than anybody can remember. The next Acoustics cafe will be next semester. n
Be the first to comment on this article!