On Sept. 17, local band The Whitfields took the stage in an enormous tent set up on Driscoll Green. The performance, in addition to numerous food trucks, food tables, caricatures and other activities, was meant to celebrate the end of the Crimson Classic 5K run along with the Inauguration of Chancellor Chopp. However, what was meant to be an energetic ending was actually a lukewarm finish.
The Whitfields, playing a genre coined “newgrass” (a bluegrass and rock hybrid), were extremely capable. The quality of the group did not lack in any way—in fact, the members were each extremely talented at their respective instruments and blended with each other quite well. Harmonies were on point and the set was executed with a precision that only large amounts of practice can bring.
However, there seemed to be a serious disconnect between DU students and the performance, as The Whitfields performed to a crowd of a few straggling middle-aged adults and maybe two or three students. While the older majority of the audience seemed to enjoy themselves, the occasional student or two would pop in for a song and leave after only a short time. For a school of 11,843 undergraduate and graduate students, the turnout was more than disappointing.
The group did attempt to connect with a younger audience by playing covers of popular songs such as “Home” by Philip Philips and “Cruise” by Florida Georgia Line, but The Whitfields is a group that is much better off playing to an older audience, and not college kids. Despite the obvious crowd-pleasers, The Whitfields did not play the kind of set that would easily attract students walking by. The band also seemed slightly out of place by playing pop-influenced tunes—the group is obviously better suited to play traditional bluegrass songs.
Overall, despite a decent attempt to please a college audience, The Whitfields failed to draw in a crowd. It’s difficult to ascertain if this was due to a lack of advertising or something else, but it was at least influenced by the mismatch of genre and audience. It may be worth it to see The Whitfields perform in a setting more receptive to bluegrass and similar genres, but for DU students, there was a definite lack of connection.
