Punk ‘N Pie was almost a really amazing event. There was a buzz of excitement on campus, and even though it was scheduled on a Wednesday night when many have class, students packed the place in. People lined the aisles of Sutherland Auditorium and stood in the lobby, peering through the open doors. But the event ended up being nearly three hours long. Set changes took a long time, and it was about 95 degrees in Sutherland. Last year Punk ‘N Pie suffered from too few performances, this year, there may have been too many.
But of all the acts, the final one, a song performed by an entire hall in Stewart was anticipated more than any other. The guys from PUQ had a huge reputation to keep up, but promised something more inspiring than last year’s Sufjan spectacle. It seemed every attendee at Punk ‘N Pie on Wednesday night was there to see if it was true.
There were bright spots in the evening leading up to PUQ. “That Thing You Do,” performed by the One-ders, was fun and engaging for the entire audience. Benjamin Lee’s rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon,” played on the ukulele was unique and impressive. And Bang and Barker took the crowd back to junior high with acoustic versions of N’SYNC and Backstreet Boys songs, complete with chair dancing and silly harmonies.
At 10:15 p.m., two and a half hours after the show began, PUQ finally took the stage. With an awe-inspiring exhibition of a Sufjan Stevens’ “The Transfiguration” last year, the second performance was anticipated with anxious excitement.
“Could they top last year?” seemed to be the question for many Punk ‘N Pie veterans. And by the time a mass of men dressed in black swarmed the stage, it’s safe to say even new students were on edge.
“I don’t know if we topped [last year], but this was more of continuation of last year,” said senior Josh Stricker, PUQ RA and leader of the dramatic half of the performance. “Last time was the transfiguration of Christ, this year was our representation of the union of the Church.”
Elijah Smith, senior, took center stage surrounded by his band of “PUQers” and introduced Sufjan Stevens’ new song, “Majesty Songbird.” As the band began, complete with three guitars, a horn section, percussion and piano, the crowd finally saw what they came for.
Stricker began the performance by flying around wearing a bird suit. He and his floor members paraded across the stage in unison as birds, in representation of the Church. Midway through the song, Father and Son, leaders of the Church were revealed in a glorious sea of light. Elijah and his band passionately jammed as the birds left the stage, and up the crowded aisles, closing the song after six minutes of impressive musicianship.
Unfortunately, Sutherland wasn’t quite ready for the spectacle. Light problems left the stage in darkness at times, and the sound mix was very unbalanced. It was sometimes difficult to appreciate the true beauty of the song and dance because of technical distractions.
“When you are trying to organize something that complex, stuff is bound to happen,” said Stricker. “We really appreciate AS and the technical staff for allowing us to perform.”
He was very conscious of how big of an undertaking it was to house such a large band of performers, and to set it up in tight time constraints.
“We were just grateful we had a venue, and are appreciative of the audience for sticking around for so long, and for putting up with our long preparation,” he said.
“It’s fun to be able to do something like that, something that may seem frivolous, but is deeply rooted in what we believe; being able to dance and sing, and do it all for the glory of God,” said Stricker, on behalf of his floor.
Punk ‘N Pie, as it always has in years past, welcomes Halloween in its own Biola way. And despite its length and difficulties, the night was fun and entertaining for all audience members and participators.
To see the winning performances, see the videos below.
Videos by Evangeline Lee.
FIRST PLACE
SECOND PLACE
THIRD PLACE
