The Elm Student Newspaper
Brady and Reynolds show entertains 1,100 in LFC
Dawn Taute
Nationally famous musician Tim Reynolds
(top picture) and comedian Wayne Brady
(below) performed Thursday, April 26 in
the Lifetime Fitness Center.
Courtesy of College Relations
Thursday, April 26, actor Wayne Brady, of the hit TV series Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and guitarist Tim Reynolds, who has accompanied musician Dave Matthews, rocked and dazzled the stage in the Lifetime Fitness Center with a spectacular performance of music and comedy.
Approximately 1,100 people packed the seats in the LFC arena. The setup included a stage with bright fluorescent lights and an amazing sound system.
Musician Tim Reynolds started off the show with a number of guitar melodies.
For about forty-five minutes, Reynolds lit up the stage with what many agreed was remarkable musical talent."Tim Reynolds is one of the most creative musicians I've ever heard," said freshman Zack Lindstrom. "The things he did with his guitar blew me away."
Tim Reynolds also commented on his performance and what it was like to play at WC.
"Every time you play in front of people, even if it's the same place, there's a different energy," said Reynolds. "[Playing music] live, there's an element of chance. You make more mistakes, but there's always something different. Playing in the studio makes it more like a picture."
Reynolds also commented on his new album and his perspective on rock music.
"[The album] is a little more far out, but is also a return to acoustic roots with more involved writing. Acoustic is something you can play all styles on, and it doesn't sound so divergent," said Reynolds. "For most of the eighties, I immersed myself in bebop, but rock music is more wide open."
Reynolds added, "I'm all about learning technical stuff, but if it doesn't sound good, it's worthless. Music is like religion, it's different for everybody."
Not only was his music appealing to the audience, but Reynolds's personality added to the performance as well.
"I met Tim Reynolds and he was a very understanding, welcoming person," said freshman Matt Kearney who helped work the lighting for the show.
"It felt great to take part in such a worthwhile show with a wonderful man."
Also sharing the stage was comedian Wayne Brady.
With the help of some friends, Brady amazed the audience with a rendition of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, which included various improvisational scenes and audience participation. With his quick wit and sparkling personality, it was apparent that Brady was highly successful in spreading laughter and enjoyment throughout the audience.
"I loved the show," said sophomore Kelly Moore. "The best part was when Wayne's friend called him 'Black Angus.' It was all very funny."
Sophomore Laura Walter also commented, "I liked the improv song they did about May Day, and all the student involvement in the activities they did made things more interesting."
"It was cool to have a big star like Wayne Brady come to Washington College," commented freshman Bryan Seward.
"I hope next year, we can have someone like Colin Mockery or Ryan Stiles."
Said Lindstrom, "Wayne Brady and friends are ingenious comics. The spontaneity of these comedians was breathtaking."
The show was presented by the Student Events Board and the Student Government Association, who worked hard in organizing the event and helped to put on a successful performance.
Bob Hooey, Director of Student Events, said, "I thought the show went very well, and it was very well received. I didn't expect that kind of a turnout.
"The cooperation of the school, and everyone involved was wonderful, from the Athletic department to Buildings and Grounds."
Freshman and Treasurer of the Student Events Board Mandi Appler commented on the future of these types of high-profile shows.
"We definitely want to plan more events like this in the future," said Appler. "We need student input on who we want and a little more funding. If students tell us more of what they want, we can deliver."
Hooey added, "One of the reasons I'm here is to produce these kinds of shows. We will be doing more shows like this next year and in the future they will be bigger and better."
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