Correction appended.
This year’s TBT concert turned into a night of karaoke when Christofer Drew of Never Shout Never brought fans on stage to sing and play instruments with him.
In the middle of his set of Never Shout Never hits, Drew brought a fan on stage to play the ukulele for Smash Mouth’s “All Star.” A few other fans sang hits like “Happy” and “Big City Dreams.”
Drew performed for University Programming Council’s annual TBT concert. Past performers include Metro Station and Aaron Carter.
Drew came out on the stage in Baker Ballroom, holding a glass that looked like kombucha, while he performed to a crowd of students dawning shutter sunglasses, choker necklaces and slap bracelets.
“You know a high school dropout is playing for you right now,” Drew said. “How does that feel?”
The crowd sang along to nearly every song, especially Drew’s older songs like “CheaterCheaterBestFriendEater” and “Trouble.”
“You sound like a boys’ choir from Germany,” Drew said to the crowd.
He planned only the first four songs of the set and took requests from the audience for the rest of the performance. He casually talked to the audience while he set up for the rest of his songs.
Despite not knowing any Never Shout Never tracks, Darian Herron, an undecided freshman, played a shaker on stage while he sang.
“To be honest, I didn’t know any of his songs, so I just wung it,” Herron said. “I did not expect to get on stage at all.”
Before singing “Harmony,” Drew said the world is in a hard time right now, but people should find hope in that.
“It’s a time for hope because everyone knows it sucks,” Drew said.
Tacy Greenwood, a sophomore studying retail merchandising, loved hearing the throwback songs from a band she loved from age 12 until she was about 17.
“I got to see them once at Warped Tour, but I wanted the full throwback experience,” Greenwood said.
Marissa Owens, a sophomore studying communication studies, said her favorite song was “CheaterCheaterBestFriendEater.”
“My seventh-grade self is so happy right now,” Owens said.
Despite finding out about the performance only five days ago, Drew played an hourlong set and closed on “Your Biggest Fan,” a request from someone in the audience.
“Enjoy yourselves,” Drew said to the students nearing the end of the school year. “You’re in the final stretch.”
Correction: A previous version of the headline on this report misspelled Christofer Drew's name. The article has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
