Musical Talent Displayed at “Reflexes” Open Mic Night

Open Mic Night allowed students to showcase their talents.
Photo By Caleb Zopp

Once again, Concord Reflexes hosted an exciting “Open Mic Night” event. People doing various music acts showed their talent, while having a great time with their friends.

    Everyone who participated in this engaging event at Subway Sides were encouraged to go up on stage and do any type of performance they wanted. Just like an average karaoke night, this semester’s “Open Mic Night” offered plenty of laughing and cheering, but also showcased musical talents.

    The acts either involved vocal duets, guitar duets, or vocals and piano. Some acts were even a cappella performances. Each act brought energy and cheering from the crowd of people who went out to watch. The acts included covers of songs from artists like Alicia Keys and Enrique Iglesias.

    There were also covers of songs like “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion, and even “Man of Constant Sorrow” by the Soggy Bottom Boys.

    Reflexes hosts “Open Mic Night” as way to display the creativity on campus. Instead of focusing on written or visual creativity, however, “Open Mic Night” focuses more in creativity in the form of performing arts.

    One of the various participants who performed for “Open Mic Night” was Concord Senior Erica Garnes. She performed a duet with her friend for the song “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac. Garnes says she prepared for the duet by running to the bathroom to think of a song that they could both sing, and then she warmed up for the performance.

    Garnes feels that the “Open Mic Night” was a delight to watch and participate in. “I originally had no plans to participate, just go and support a lot of my friends who I knew were planning to do something,” says Garnes. “You could tell some [of the performers] had worked a long time on their pieces or performances. They [also] received recognition for that hard work in thundering applause and high-pitched hollers.”

    She feels everyone participating or watching were there to have a good time and exchange music that they worked hard to perform. For Garnes, getting up on stage is not a frightful experience when a friend is performing too, especially with friends in the audience. Another thing Garnes notices about “Open Mic Night” is that everyone was supportive of all the performers, considering that there was no judging for the event.

    “I think Concord should hold more events like this, that way more people can come out and show what they’ve got. Performing in front of people can help shatter stage fright and boost creativity by just being in the mix,” Garnes adds. If Reflexes will end up doing another “Open Mic Night” next semester, Garnes will be there in the crowd to watch.

    This the second “Open Mic Night” event to take place since the return of “Reflexes.” Last year’s “Open Mic Night” offered a comedian and a few poetry readings, while this year’s event was comprised mostly of music and singing.

    “This time around, our audience was a bit smaller, but definitely more engaged than last year,” says James Trent, “Reflexes” editor-in-chief. Trent thinks this could be for a variety of reasons, which will be considered by “Reflexes” before next semester’s “Open Mic Night.” According to Trent, there is usually a robust variety of performance. “We like to encourage a variety as much as possible,” Trent adds.

    “Open Mic Night” served to allow talented people to perform in front of peers for an enjoyable night. With the experiences of those who prepared and performed, it can possibly inspire more people to showcase their creative and musical talents to their peers in the future.