DNCE rocks out on the Roberts Hall Lawn

By Arbogast, Brandon, September 23, 2016

By Liz Reichart//A&E Editor

The Roberts Hall clock struck 10 p.m. as eager DNCE fans heard the opening notes of something perhaps unexpected: the theme song from the popular fantasy war television program “Game of Thrones.” This was just the first of many quirky bits that High Point University students were treated to on Sept. 15 during DNCE’s performance at their fall concert.

DNCE was clearly anything but ordinary. A group of four musicians half-clothed, purple-haired, and mohawk-ed to the high heavens, this performance was all about embracing the radical side of music. Led by former Jonas Brothers member Joe Jonas, the band is new on the scene only having formed in 2015, but has made a big splash with their single “Cake by the Ocean” and was named Best New Artist at the MTV Music Video Awards. It was immediately clear why this band has such a zany appeal. This show was so high-energy that it is still unclear if Joe Jonas’ feet ever did touch the ground from jumping up and down so much. At one point bassist Cole Whittle did a headstand while playing, shirtless, of course.

A common concern among students was the lack of material DNCE has released: only four singles. The band scattered these four throughout the set, including fan favorites like “Toothbrush” and “Pay my Rent.” “Cake by the Ocean,” like a delicious dessert, was rightfully saved for last. A self-titled album will be released from DNCE in November, and the band was kind enough to give students a sneak preview. The new songs sounded in accord with their pop-synthetic sound that has mass appeal. To fill in the gaps, DNCE did a wide range of covers, and the crowd responded enthusiastically to each one. “Who here likes Kanye West?” said Jonas, baiting the crowd. After the crowd cheered wildly in response, Jonas said “Good. This is a song by Drake.” Another quip to put the audience at ease. The band covered Drake’s “Hotline Bling” and “Hold On, We’re Going Home” in addition to the Police’s “Roxanne.” Strangely enough, DNCE did not dip back into the Jonas Brother’s portfolio chockfull of hits, including “Burnin’ Up,” “Year 3000,” “Hold On,” or “S.O.S.” Fans seemed disappointed by the lack of a throwback to their middle school crushes on Nick, Joe, and Kevin, but it seems logical that the band would want to distance themselves from Joe’s past stardom. DNCE is moving in a completely different direction than the Jonas Brothers, with more of an edge and less of a polished Disney Channel veneer.

While the band didn’t talk to the crowd a lot, Jonas engaged in quite a bit of call and response. At one point, it sounded as if the crowd was doing his vocal warm-ups with him. Halfway through the set, Jonas brought an embroidered HPU hat, and the band took turns wearing it throughout the remainder of the songs. How nice that Joe Jonas chose to participate in Purple Fridays!

The set closed with “Cake by the Ocean” and as it ended, the band exited to Queen’s “We are the Champions.” But not all left the stage immediately. In classic Joe Jonas fashion, the front man climbed the scaffolding holding up the stage in front of Roberts Hall. One can only wonder if he’ll be facing a fine for that stunt.

DNCE may have rocked the house, but just by observing the mass of students on the Roberts Hall lawn, attendance was noticeably low. This could be due to many factors, like the recent rise to fame of the band leading to unfamiliarity with their music among students. The most probable reason for this drop in attendance is the scheduling of Greek Week’s Lip Sync competition at 11:00 a.m. the following morning. Fraternity and sorority members were encouraged to get an early night’s sleep before the morning’s big event, which included morning practices starting as early as 8:00 a.m.

Regardless, DNCE was a cut above the concerts we’ve seen at HPU in recent years. The night of pop was a non-stop energy thrill ride that was as electrifying as it was daring.