Bathed in the deep purple lights of AfterHours Sept. 20, palpable excitement grew from both the audience and performers of the Live Music Association’s, or LMA’s, Open Mic Night.
In the unique spirit of an open mic night, there was a sense that the event fostered a symbiotic relationship between audience and performer; while audience members were treated to a night of entertainment, performers got the chance to go on stage, share their passion and gain their performing “sea legs.”
“I think it’s the same idea of what my hopes are, where we’re able to showcase student talent rather than established bands who are used to performing,” said LMA Special Event Chair Liza Granoe, a fourth-year mechanical engineering and design combined major. “We get a lot of people who have never performed before, [and] this is the first time they’re ever on a stage, which is just a really good opportunity for people to open themselves up and be able to showcase their talents.”
It was evident as performers filtered into the venue, guitars slung over shoulders, sporting ear-to-ear grins as they waved to friends: This night was about community and supporting Northeastern’s student body.
“I would say that most open mic nights bring out everybody around Northeastern who does music, and that’s what makes it special. Every time I’m here, I see the same people; you get to make connections,” said Ana Poulin, a fourth-year music technology major and an open mic regular. “There’s friends that I’ve met here that I’m still friends with now. I feel like that’s what makes it special. I don’t notice that when I go to an open mic at a bar.”
Poulin performed an original song later that night, met by thunderous applause.
But the sense of community did not just extend between fellow performers — there was a real feeling that the audience was there to nurture and offer a judgment-free space for fellow Northeastern students to put on a show.
“I feel like open mic night is a non-judgmental area, so you can get different types of opinions, different types of people, different cultures; you get to learn a lot of new things,” said audience member Pooja Kannan, here at Northeastern getting her masters in cyber-physical systems.
The night exceeded expectations, with performances ranging from original songs to comedy to poetry. There were saxophone, piano, guitar and, of course, vocal performances.
Aaroh, Northeastern’s Indian undergraduate music club, stunned with multiple crowd favorites, meshing pop music covers with traditional Indian vocal stylings. Arden Lloyd, Northeastern’s budding folk singer, treated the audience to a sneak peek of an eloquently raw original, unreleased. Michele Leigh showed off her range with a soft, personal setlist, one that contrasted the dazzling, high-energy version of her seen at this year’s CUPfest.
There was not a stagnant or predictable moment throughout the whole night, which spanned a little over two hours. Where else could you hear covers of Frank Sinatra, Maggie Rogers, Guns N’ Roses and Ed Sheeran as well as comedy, poetry and original songs? It was a night of magic, made possible by the incredible sense of solidarity the performance community of Northeastern boasts.
At the end of the night, as performers and audience members gathered their bags, instruments and high spirits, the sense of accomplishment and community was undeniable.
“It was a really cool event — I really liked all the different artists and different performances,” said Trinity Phillips, a first-year pharmaceutical sciences major.
