On Nov. 17, some of country music’s brightest stars came to the campus of Mississippi State University, the Eli Young Band.
The band, famous for such songs as “Saltwater Gospel,” “Crazy Girl” and “Love Ain’t” stepped foot into Lee Hall and electrified the crowd.
Music Maker Productions, an on-campus student organization that brings musical acts to MSU, hosted the concert.
The night started with food provided by Easy Street Brunch Co. and Brown Bag Provisions food trucks and laughter before the doors opened.
Earlier in the week, MMP announced the concert would be moved from the original location of the MSU Amphitheater to Bettersworth Auditorium in Lee Hall due to the weather.
The move was celebrated by many fans including Claire Sotak, a junior animal and dairy science major from Nashville, Tennessee.
“I’m excited it got moved indoors rather than outside,” Sotak said.
When the doors opened, students rushed to the hall. The atrium was filled with people milling about, scanning in tickets, waiting and checking out the merchandise table for the Eli Young Band.
The concert started a little after 6 p.m., with local artist Paxton Peay as the opening act. The set was a mix of his original songs and covers of notable early 2000s country songs.
The “Buzz Like You” singer closed his half-hour set with an original song entitled “Missin’ Mississippi,” which was released earlier this year.
A roughly 30-minute break came afterward, which many used to buy merchandise or take pictures in the photo booth located in the lobby.
Before the performance, Amber Parker, a sophomore biochemistry major with a pre-med concentration, mentioned her enthusiasm for the night.
“I’m so excited. It’s going to be so much fun,” said Parker, grinning from ear to ear. “I bought these tickets lack week and I’ve been looking forward to it since.”
When the time came, the lights dimmed and the band members took to the stage and opened with one of their hits, “Drunk Last Night.”
Aside from the first few songs, the band sang from their latest albums for the first half of the concert.
The energy grew throughout the night as the crowd sang along to past hits and newer songs. The band was especially aware of their effect, as frontman and lead singer Mike Eli promised about halfway through the set that the last half would be more of their older hits and less of their newer material.
Eli announced that this was the most well-behaved group of college students the band had ever performed for. Accordingly, students started crowding the barricades and waving phone flashlights to break the calmness.
At one point in the performance, a member of the crowd threw an MSU flag onto the stage, which had the entire crowd on their feet cheering.
The act wound down with the closing song, “Love Ain’t.” But as many in the crowd noticed, they had yet to play arguably their most famous song “Crazy Girl.” There were calls for an encore, and the band made its way back to the stage.
The encore started with a slower song titled “Guinevere,” and then slowly transitioned into “Crazy Girl,” which excited the crowd. The encore ended with the band’s take on Walk the Moon’s hit song “Shut up and Dance,” which left many attendees dancing in the aisles.
After the concert, Allyson Crocker, the student director for MMP, said she and the rest of the team were proud of the event. She said there was such enthusiasm from the students and community.
“Eli Young Band was the main headliner of Bulldog Bash in 2012, so it was really special for us to have the opportunity to welcome them back to Starkville,” Crocker said. “The audience was incredible, the artists were incredible and our team members were incredible. By all accounts, it was an incredible night of live music and fun.”