A loud, retro and rocking midterm test

“This is not a polite recital. I want to hear you make some noise!”

That’s how Chris Sampson, director of the popular music performance program at USC’s Thornton School of Music, introduced the first band of the evening.

Although there was a bit of a chill outside on Wednesday evening, the performances by USC’s upperclass popular music performance majors made Ground Zero Performance Café the hottest place to be for this entirely student-run event; it also counted as the midterm for the class.

The only thing not extremely well done throughout the entire evening was the naming of the groups, un-creatively referred to as “Bands 1-5.” Although the names comically lacked any flair, the performances that spanned a solid hour and a half more than made up for it.

Kicking off the evening was band No. 1, which opened with Bill Withers’ “Use Me” to loud applause from the jam-packed Ground Zero seating area. The students provided grooving beats and soulful vocals to create an upbeat tone that permeated the evening.

As it transitioned into James Taylor’s “Mexico,” the tempo decreased but the quality grew even greater, accentuated nicely by the masterful harmonizing of all three vocalists. It finished its set with the funk classic, “Long Train Running” by the Doobie Brothers, which received raucous applause from the audience as the band left the stage.

There was no time to dwell on the previous performance, however, because band No. 2 came on shortly after, opening with the edgy “Barracuda” by Heart before slowing things down with an impeccable cover of Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”

The best vocal performance of the evening came during the group’s  last song, a rendition of “Stay With Me” by Rod Stewart’s band Faces.

Band No. 3 started off its set in a more somber fashion with David Bowie’s “Life on Mars?,” a track that showcased the tempo of the musicians. Then, it chose to also play Faces’ “Stay With Me,” providing a slightly different take on the tune that pleased the audience, which was unfazed that it had already heard the song in the previous set.

The band members’ best performance was their own energetic rendition of “Long Train Running” in which they truly proved their mastery as musical artists.

Band No. 4 opened with a unique rendition of the previously played “Barracuda,” before playing a spot-on cover of Randy Newman’s “I’ll Be Home.” It closed gracefully with “Life On Mars?” and was once again able to keep it fresh.

The night’s closing act, band No. 5 — a nine-piece group featuring two guitarists, a bassist, a drummer, a violinist, two saxophone players, a trumpet player and a keyboardist — put on the best performance of the evening.

The group opened its set with authority to the tune of Jeff Beck’s instrumental track “Hammerhead,” which incited head-bobbing throughout the entire venue. Its second song was a cover of Steely Dan’s “Peg,” which showcased the talent of every band member, especially with impressive guitar and saxophone solos. It felt as if there was a big, old-time jazz band onstage jamming out, and the crowd responded enthusiastically.

Now, it was time for the final song of the evening. The band members invited up three guest vocalists to join them as they performed a rousing rendition of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Dancing in September.”

It was the perfect ending to the night, as the good vibes and energy reverberated off of the walls of Ground Zero long after the band left

the stage.

USC Thornton School of Music’s popular music performance program is renowned for a reason, and that reason became clear Wednesday evening. The classic songs that these students performed are by no means easy, and this mini-concert was a testament to all that the popular music performance majors have accomplished thus far and an indication of their potential.

Of course, Wednesday was only one-half of the showcase, as the second part will take place tonight at 8 p.m. at Ground Zero. This time, the first-year students get to show off their stuff, and it will be truly exciting to see just what they can bring to the table.

If Wednesday was any indication, Friday’s showcase is not something to be missed.