March 28, 2024

There are several wonderful events that happen on campus every week, but one event that should always be attended is the Wittmen Crew performances. The Wittmen Crew is an all-male a cappella group with thirteen members of the Wittenberg community. Along with singing at various sorority and fraternity events and performing at Wittfest, they also hold their own concerts during the winter and the spring. The group performs short skits that have the audience in tears with laughter by the end of the show.

For their spring concert this year, they chose to center their theme on songs they considered to be “out of this world”: hence the name “The ‘Out of this World’ Spring Concert.” The performance ran through April 26-28 in the theater at Krieg. Since it was the first performance on April 26, there was a smaller audience, making the performance more personal.

The show started out with laughter, but not for reasons the crew intended. The members had set up a short video to help introduce the crew, but as always, technology decided to fight back. The video played, but the sound decided to cut out a minute into the video, causing several cries from the audience. Quickly, Levi Goble, a senior in the Crew, ran out and frantically fixed the settings.

Finally, the video played, and Goble ran back behind the curtain, shouting for us to enjoy over his shoulder. Despite the technical problems, the audience took it well, causing laughter and call outs before the show even started. The laughing only increased as the video played. The crew had decided to hop on the viral video trend, hoping to gain more “fame and popularity.” Several of the members were featured, telling stories of their days in the war, trying their hand at parkour and even redoing some famous vines.

When the video came to a close, the members ran out on stage, causing roars and applause from the audience. The performance was divided into two acts, each containing 8 songs. They also featured solos from senior performers Jack Smith, Zach Hoyer, and Levi Goble. One song was even dedicated to Wittenberg’s president, Michael Frandsen, who made an appearance at the Thursday concert. While there were one or two songs with a slower, sweeter energy, and deep lyrics, one being the song dedicated to Frandsen, most of the songs had high energy that electrified the group and the crowd. The Crew really got into their groove towards the end, when their classic songs, “Me and the Boys” and “Africa” were sung.

The Crew members fed off each other’s energy, getting close and singing their hearts out. Caleb Beck, a sophomore member of the crew, offered a quote on why he joined the performers.

“I like the unique camaraderie we have as a musical group,” Beck said. “In my opinion, it rivals that of other organizations we have here at Witt. We’re just a bunch of college students from different backgrounds and interests, but we all love to sing, and that’s what brings us all together. We’re a family and it’s one of the main reasons I wanted to join in the first place.”

Make sure you keep up with the Wittmen Crew performances, who will be celebrating their 20th reunion next year.
 

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