Doo-wop group charms audience

There was a huge turnout Saturday night to see a lively show put on by “Under The Streetlamp” in the Jorgensen Center For The Performing Arts Saturday night.  

A music group that specializes in doo-wop hits, old time rock ‘n’ roll, Motown-era soul and amazing harmonies put on a show that consisted of singing dancing and interacting with the crowd on various occasions. 

“Oh my God! I love these guys. I saw these guys on PBS. These guys are great,” said Sandy Belanger of Rocky Hill. 

Performing a variety of hits “Under The Streetlamp” played songs ranging from Etta James’s “At Last” to Elvis Presley’s “You Look Like An Angel.”

“They’re excellent, very entertaining,” Waters said. 

The group performed perfectly choreographed dancing as well as solo vocal performances. 

“I always liked this kind of music. I grew up with this kind of music. To think of the fact that this music is 50 or 60 years old is cool to think that this music has lasted this long,” said Chris Lamourine of Columbia Connecticut. 

With the exceptionally large crowd varying in ages from high school students to senior citizens band member Schonn Wiley said, “The audience was just great. It was great having the die hard fans from PBS.”

Jorgensen’s unique seating arrangement up front also gave the band more reason to give the crowd an entertaining show. 

“I felt like we had a more intimate relationship with the audience because of the way the tables were set up in front,” band member Chris Jones said. 

Watching “Under The Streetlamp” perform songs from the 40’s 50’s and 60’s made some members of the crowd reminisce their childhood. 

“I loved all the songs, they brought me down memory lane,” said Cindy Bishop of New Hampshire. 

The performance also gave reason for younger generations of people to really appreciate the style of music. 

“I liked seeing how dedicated they are to the music,” said Steven Tucker, a senior at E.O. Smith.

“This music has been around for decades. This group did a great job. It was worth seeing,” said Jim Foss of Stafford Springs.

“I thought the Beach Boys Medley that they did was really good,” said Elliot Schneer, a 5th semester mechanical engineering major. 

Schneer said he is an avid listener to the type of music that was performed. He has also seen them perform in the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at Jorgensen. 

The show that was performed gave a variety of pleasure to many different people. 

“I use the songs to help with my English,” said Hyoun Sook Lim a fourth year Ph.D. student in Business Management. “I still enjoyed the show even though the songs weren’t familiar to me.” 

“I think it was one of the best shows at Jorgensen I’ve ever seen,” Lim said. 

“It is good to be here because we grew up in the 50’s and 60’s but not in the U.S.” said Roland Lazauskas of Mansfield Connecticut. 

Lazauskas who grew up in Lithuania said “the songs would be nicer if I knew more words.”

Rostyslav Stepanenko of Mansfield who also grew up in Lithuania said “I appreciate it but if I knew the words exactly I could appreciate it more.” 

“Under The Streetlamp” performed with a band called “The Chicago 7,” which comprised of a saxophone, trombone, trumpet drums piano as well as guitar and bass guitar.

“The Chicago 7” helped the talented and energetic group perform songs like “It’s a mans world by James Brown and “Old Time Rock ‘N’ Roll” by Bob Segar.  

Performing numerous favorites for the diverse crowd the young talented group made the audience come alive by talking to the crowd and even dancing with its members during songs.  

“‘At last’ was my favorite, but it’s hard to pick a favorite,” said Liz Hevern a 5th-semester athletic training major. 

At the end of the show Under The Streetlamp took a bow and the crowd gave a standing ovation. 

Under The Streetlamp was available for autographs, pictures and conversation in the Jorgensen lobby. 

Under The Streetlamp has a page on Facebook for fans to keep track of upcoming events and interact with the group. They announced that they read every post.