X Ambassadors performed in the Schine Underground Wednesday night as the first Bandersnatch concert of the semester. Alt-rockers Tribe Society opened for them to a sold out crow, but it was X Ambassadors that took the show. Here’s the three best parts about the headliners:

They know how to move onstage

Every band member had his own personal style of dancing, and brought life to the stage in a different way. Brothers Casey and Sam Harris, the respective keyboardist and lead singer/saxophonist were the biggest and best dancers onstage, with big, fluid movements. Every time Casey broke out in a very intense head bang, his hair did, too, which was great for audience members in the back who couldn’t see over taller audience member, since it was flying in the air. Though he didn’t dance much (there really wasn’t that much room onstage), guitarist Noah Feldshuh’s immense smile and periodic hilarious facial expressions added to the excitement of the concert. Drummer Adam Levin was the most laid back in his dance moves, but that’s understandable considering both his arms were busy pretty much the entire time.

Damn, Sam can sing

Harris’ vocals hit new highs (and absolutely no lows) tonight. His voice has the breadth and strength of Chris Daughtry without the corniness. He is also bald like Chris Daughtry, but he carries it very well. His sweeping vocals also showcased his impressive vocal control, and Harris transitioned easily from belting to a surprisingly sweet, soft falsetto, especially in his cover of Rihanna’s “American Oxygen”, which he co-wrote. He showcased his vocal variety as well, singing blues-influenced riffs in the beginning of a new song they debuted, “Big.”

They have some serious love for central New York

Throughout the night, singer Sam Harris was sending love to Syracuse and the audience. He even dedicated the song “Gorgeous” to Syracuse. I’d like to believe he only does this for us, but deep down I know that’s probably not the case. During the encore, when the band played “Superpower,” he said, “This song is about being a superhero. Syracuse, thank you so much, we love you.” Therefore, Sam Harris called us all superheroes. Or maybe he called the city of Syracuse a superhero? Perhaps he wasn’t referencing any superhero-ness to us at all but either way he said he loved the audience and they loved him back.

Isha Damle is a junior television, radio and film major. She rarely knows the actual lyrics to songs, but is good at faking it until she makes it. Plus, her version is probably better. She can be reached at idamle@syr.edu or on Twitter @ishadamle.

Published on October 7, 2015 at 11:08 pm