With kazoos in hand, rock band Tally Hall strived for the unconventional during its BU Central show Friday night.
At one point, the five-member band halted their performance, taking to the floor in the middle of the audience, passing out lyrics and holding an acoustic sing-along.
Approximately 140 Boston University students sang along with Tally Hall, swaying to the Michigan band’s indie sound.
“I loved the acoustic part,” said Jessica Harris of Burlington, who said she had already seen the band live. “I’d never seen the acoustic before.”
After more than four years since Tally Hall’s formation, the band has been featured on FOX’s “The O.C.”
Midway through Tally Hall’s performance, band members asked the audience if they had their raffle tickets ready, but received slightly confused silence. Before performing the next song, guitarist and vocalist Joe Hawley declared, “This is dedicated to the raffle that never was.”
Opening band The Young Republic, an eight-member indie band from the Berklee College of Music, performed on an array of instruments, including guitar, mandolin, flute and violin.
“They were a huge band,” said Krista Decola of Northern Essex Community College. “I liked the sound. They don’t fit into one specific genre. They’re all over the place.”
Fans laughed when The Young Republic vocalist and guitarist Julian Saporiti asked, “What’s wrong with your legs?” in an effort to get audience members to stand.
Band members prefer to play concerts for “kids” their own age, said The Young Republic violist and percussionist Nate Underkuffler.
“It’s rewarding to come to a place where people come for the music and not to get wasted,” he said after the performance.
Tally Hall percussionist Andrew Horowitz said college venues bring a positive mood to the band’s performance.
“It’s nice when colleges themselves actually book the shows, because they tend to do a good job at trying to get the word out there for all the students, so it makes for a fun atmosphere,” he said.
SAO Undergraduate Programming Assistant Allie Flauter, said it was “a little bit difficult” to book Tally Hall because of scheduling conflicts.
“We were able to show two bands that are close to making it big,” said BU Central staff member Rachel Richmond, a College of Communication freshman. “This ranks as one of the highest-energy and best-received events of the year.”
BU Central members said the bands brought variety to the venue’s music offerings.
“I think they add a whole new flavor to what we have here at BU Central,” said Student Activities Office Activities Assistant Brandon Epstein, a School of Management sophomore.
Hawley said the crowd was “attentive” and “pensive.”
“After each song, there was a very good applause,” he said after the event, “and then just before the next song, [there was] kind of a pensive silence, like, ‘What’s coming next? We want to hear things.'”
Tally Hall signed autographs and chatted with fans after the concert.
“We’re doing the same thing as any other band playing at a college campus,” Horowitz said. “[We’re] trying to gain a fan base and having a good time.”