On Thursday March 22, I went to BU Central’s BU For Show, an open mic night hosted on the third Thursday of each month.  That night, 12 acts signed up to perform, but a BU Central general manager Reese Lichtenstein, told me that the most acts they’ve ever had is 28.  She said that when there are 28 sign ups, they stay until everyone has a chance to perform.  They’ll cut the performers time slots from six minutes to four, but even so, they’ll still end up staying until 1 am to hear the final performance.  Though there are a few regulars, most of the performers are new every week, which made me realize how many talented BU students there are. 

 

But it also seemed strange to me.  At least in my high school, people tended to know what other students were capable of.  Many of us had known each other since elementary school, so we knew what talents people had because we saw them develop those talents.  In college, people have usually already developed their talents, and unless they perform with a BU organization (and as a result have a wardrobe filled with hoodies, t-shirts and sweats), you wouldn’t even know.  I have a friend Pratik who I’ve known for two years, and just found out he ended up at BU because he received a full ride for playing the violin.  I didn’t even know he could play the violin!

My point is, that I don’t think people are proud enough of their amazing talents, and I’m really happy that BU For Show and other Open Mic Nights are available around campus.  The night I went, I was shocked by how talented everyone was, and even more impressed by the fact that they were able to get up on a stage and do their act to a full audience.   Not all were great performances, but I loved that the performer’s confidence seemed to grow from the experience rather than diminish.   I think a lot of that had to do with the audience, too.  I was honestly expecting a heckler or two in the audience, but every person in that audience was supportive of the person who was on stage, which is just incredible. 

The first two performers were Kevin Liang and Gabe Chin, both rappers, both Asian.  Yes, the audience seemed a little skeptical at first, but as soon as they started the audience just went nuts. These guys were both incredibly talented and the amount of applause they received was well deserved.  Four comedians performed including Sameer Farooq, James Sutton, Synyoung Li and Jon Gaudet.  I didn’t think all were hilarious, but each one had their moments.  I think stand up is incredibly challenging: how do you make a room of strangers laugh?  So I still respect all four for having the courage to get up on stage and perform. Two bands performed and one featured a cajon, which is a percussion instrument you sit on.  I'd only seen it once before, and was excited to see it again.  

Everyone was so talented, but there were three gems of the night for me.  The first was Rose O’Connell-Marion, who played guitar and sang, though because of her tiny voice I couldn’t hear her say the name of the song she was performing.  The reason I loved her performance was that she’s a coworkers girlfriend who I have seen plenty of times this year, and I had no idea she could sing or play guitar.  It’s always exciting for me to get to see someone in a new light.  Second, was Rich Rakowski who played the accordion and told me that he’s only been playing for six years because he’s Polish, but his older brothers could play so he never had to know how to, but after his brothers left for college his family needed someone else to entertain them at parties so Rich had to learn.  He played a tango and Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up. "And last, but certainly not least (no, seriously, this girl was my favorite of the night), was Ilana Berman, who rapped about WWI.   Over 6 ft., she’s slightly awkward, but when she started rapping she began to exude something that could only be described as swagger. 

Overall, I think people’s talents should be acknowledged and displayed, and I think BU For Show is an amazing outlet for that.  

Want to attend a BU Central performance? Check out their calendar!  It's usually free and includes free food!  http://bucentral.wordpress.com/calendar/