For the senior class of The Wittmen Crew — Alex Hallauer, Eli Runk, Garrett Stout and Nick Wanamaker — Saturday evening’s concert brought lots of laughter and lots of tears as the four performed together with the Crew for the very last time.
“This weekend was one of the most well-done shows since I’ve been in The Wittmen Crew,” Stout said. “I couldn’t be happier with how this group has come together over the course of the semester.”
The Wittmen Crew held their annual spring concert in Ness Auditorium and broke down their set into two acts.
In the first act, they performed “The Longest Time,” “Unsteady,” “Why iii Love the Moon,” “Something Just Like This,” “Hymn for the Weekend” and “Colder Weather.” “Colder Weather” featured a solo by Stout while freshman Antonio Davis was featured in “Unsteady,” both raking in loud applause that echoed all throughout Ness.
In the second act, after passing out senior gifts that included a cow wristlet and a beaten-up box, Runk told the audience that the second set included songs that the seniors had sung at one point in their Crew careers that they wanted to perform again. Each senior was featured in one of the songs in the second act, including Stout in “Pure Imagination”, Runk in “Hotel California”, Hallauer in “Carry On My Wayward Son” and Wanamaker in “I’m Still Standing.”
The group closed out the show with an invitation to bring alumni up to the stage to sing “Me & The Boys,” which featured junior Josh Goble, Hallauer and sophomore Drake Kobler. Last but not least, the group ended with “Africa,” featuring solos by Stout, Runk and freshman Saqib Rasheed.
As the concert drew to a close, Stout moved to center stage to sing the solo for “Africa” — something he has sang for the past three years as a member of Crew. Stout asked the audience to sing along if he began to break down and cry in the midst of his solo, as it was his last time singing the song. Both the audience and the other members of Crew kept Stout singing, and the group finished out the concert with an all-Crew hug on stage.
After the concert, the Crew had a congregation of family and friends hanging out in the Hollenbeck Atrium while awaiting their beloved Crew members. Although many tears were shed both during the concert and after, all of the seniors were thankful for the experiences that Wittmen Crew has brought them.
“Singing with this group is the main reason I transferred to Wittenberg and it has been one of the most fulfilling ventures I have ever set out for,” Stout said.
This year’s Wittmen Crew included the four seniors, three juniors (Goble, Elliot Gleeson and Luke Ballard), two sophomores (Kobler and Gabriel Lamar) and four freshmen (Abrahm Shelton, Rasheed, Davis and Matt Akers).
“The concert was a blast and I can’t wait for the two years to follow,” Kobler said after the performance.
Although the seniors are taking on new adventures, The Wittmen Crew look to continue singing for the Wittenberg community, and to continue bringing breathtaking performances for their audiences throughout the upcoming years.
