Ben Rector performed for Mississippi State University students in the Bettersworth Auditorium last Wednesday night. Although it was not my first Ben Rector concert, I anticipated it would be the best one yet since it was hosted at MSU.
From the moment the concert was announced, campus was buzzing about the $5 concert Music Maker Productions set up. Tickets were sold out within a few hours.
Although the doors did not open until 7 p.m., ticket holders lined up outside of the auditorium at 5 p.m. in order to get the best seats in the house. I showed up at 5:30 p.m. and managed to get a seat on the fourth row, center stage. However, by the time 7 p.m. rolled around, the line had extended all the way to Swalm Hall on the other side of the Drill Field.
Rector performed the set list made for his 2016 tour, but made each song relevant and unique for his young, college town audience. He was very conversational throughout the entire performance, which made the concert more personal.
With the auditorium filled with eager fans, Rector started the show at 7:30 p.m. with his song “Fear” and quickly transitioned into “Let the Good Times Roll” while also getting the crowd involved in the verses.
Capturing the attention of the audience, Rector managed to incorporate a cowbell into his set list in his mix of the Jackson 5 song, “ABC” and his own song, “Loving You Is Easy.” Rector continued to engage the audience in his performance by asking the audience to donate their ball caps to the band to wear for the song “I Like You” which prompted several students to throw their baseball caps on stage. The band wore these, while Rector already had his own baseball cap backstage.
My favorite part of the entire night was when the band smoothly transitioned from “The Beat” to the “Cha Cha Slide” and then back into the “The Beat” smoothly. I also enjoyed how Rector continually got the audience involved in songs.
Rector ended with an encore, singing “Brand New” while he wore a MSU Dak Prescott ersey. However, he also added the song “The Men that Drive Me Places” to remind the crowd not all superheroes wear capes, and said he felt lucky to be on stage, singing to the crowd.
The personality and individuality Rector brought to the stage made this concert memorable for the entire audience. Through his songs and stories, Rector reminded the audience he is not only a celebrity, but also a person just like the rest of us. This performance far exceeded my expectations and was, by far, one of the best I have ever seen.
