The bass reverberated through the floor into the shoe-soles of students, many wearing panda masks around their heads, faces, shoulders, waists, wrists and knees. In their hands, they clutched glow sticks. They sat on each other’s shoulders, bounced beach balls over their heads and swayed to the music.
Around the border of the room, men wearing blue shirts with white lettering proclaiming “CSS Security” secured panda hats around their heads as they leaned against the walls and watched the crowd. The flashing red, green and blue strobe lights bounced off the walls while the smell of smoke encompassed the group that moved as one to the two performers on stage.
A screen emblazoned with “White Panda” was on stage hiding the fast-flying fingers of the duo and their two computers that sported jellyfish-like tentacles of wires in the midst of which the two performers hunched, occasionally throwing a fist into the air and looking up at the crowd.
White Panda, a Chicago-based mashup team comprising Tom Evans and Dan Griffith, performed in the Student Activities Center Ballroom B on Friday night for Stony Brook University students. Doors opened at 8:30 p.m. and the room quickly filled with students, who did not have to pay admission.
Melanie Green, 18, economics major, called herself a “huge White Panda fan” as she fiddled with the panda hat she wore backwards on her head. Green said she had not seen the duo perform before but was excited that she was getting the chance.
Those who knew of White Panda before the show said they found out about them through the Internet. “I found them through blogs,” said Jeffrey Lee, 22, athletic training major, who wore three panda masks around his waist while dancing with his friends.
In their white suits, panda masks and Converse, White Panda stood on stage, feet shoulder-width apart, arms extended in front of them with their heads tossed back exclaiming the lyrics that pounded out of the sound system. The duo began their performance an hour after the doors opened to the cheers from students. From the moment they took the stage, they engaged the crowd by playing popular songs and shouting “Sing it with me!” Both members took turns jumping off the stage, reaching out to the crowd and touching the out-stretched hands of their fans.
“I like them a lot,” said Kristin Smith, 20, psychology major, who did not know the group before their performance. “As far as their concert goes, it’s the way that they switch songs that I really like.” Smith said she would see them again even if admission wasn’t free.
Evans and Griffith formed White Panda after they began to experiment with mashups in college. The two knew each other from childhood and never expected that becoming performers was in their future. Both had jobs lined up after graduation. Evans graduated from Northwestern University where he studied economics and finance. Griffith studied to become an electrical engineer at University of Southern California. The two released their first free album, “Versus,” in late 2009. Since then, the pair has produced two more albums titled “Rematch” and “Pandamonium” in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The group also releases a new track approximately every week for their fans, a tradition they call “Mashup Mondays.” All of their music is free to download on their website www.thewhitepanda.com.
The team said they enjoy playing for colleges even though not all who attend are their fans. “A lot of times these college shows are people coming in, and it’s what’s going on at the college that night, to come check us out,” said Evans. “It’s not like 100 percent of them are our fans. You gotta win them over a little bit. At the same time, colleges are super enthusiastic. They’re great, a lot of fun, a little rowdy
Allen Abraham, vice president of clubs and organizations for the Undergraduate Student Government, called the concert a success. “Compared to Best Coast and Immortal Technique, it gives a good start.” Abraham said that USG is “still planning big” for events throughout the upcoming year.
Mark Maloof, president of USG, was happy with the concert which he called the “first great event of the year.” Approximately 1,100 people attended the show, which was moved indoors due to concern of rain. Maloof, who said he wished the concert could have taken place on the Staller Steps as scheduled, was happy with the turnout. “I didn’t want students to lose out on an event.” The goal of the concert, according to Maloof, was to get “students pumped for the semester.”
White Panda “was really easy to work with from the get-go,” said Maloof, who called the band a “one-stop shop.” The duo did not request much, only asking for Sour Patch Kids, dinner, water and Red Bull amongst other snack-like items.
“We’re confident enough in our music that people who have an open mind are gonna have a good time.” The duo said they had fun playing the concert and would return to Stony Brook University if given the chance. “Every show we do is a little bit different. We’re still two pandas dancing around on stage.”
Video courtesy of www.StonyBeats.com.
