Issue date: 11/6/07 Section: Arts

Media Credit: Lincoln Benedict Combining for the program finale, 82 Deansmen performed, "In the Still of the Night," receiving great applause from a large audience.

The past met with the present on Saturday night, as 82 Deansmen from five generations entered the chapel in a mass procession, filling three aisles. Audience anticipation matched the overwhelming turn out for the Deansmen's 50th Anniversary Reunion Concert, entitled "A Century Half-Full." Alums from the class of 1957, all the way up to our present-day "Deansies" were represented. The performers' families and peers were in tow, including a few Merimander wives. Three of the group's founders were also in attendance. Following some mingling, spontaneous applause coaxed the current group on stage to commence with what turned out to be a very moving evening of music and memories.

The current group opened with some welcoming remarks by David Miller '08 and their energetic rendition of "Freedom '90," with solos from Miller and Peter Serafini '10. They then introduced the first of five groups to perform, its members spanning the graduating years of 1958-1972.

A founding Deansmen opened with some commentary on the differences between Bates' current group and the older men on stage, "As you can see we don't dress the same as they do. You may also notice we have different hair cuts. But I promise, we're not completely stiff." They certainly proved it with their first song about "making merry at the zoo," which had a very pleasing barbershop quality. The group followed up with "Mandy," a campfire song about a Bahama girl, and closed with Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo."

Next up were alums from the classes of 1973 to 1984. Their first song, a mixture of simple tunes in harmony with one another, included "Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?" and "Me Mother and Father are Irish." The number incorporated a fun theatricality that seemed to characterize each generation of Deansmen. Their set also included a heartfelt "Coney Island Baby," "Charlie on the MTA" with guitar accompaniment, and "Sassafras." Members of the group from the early '80s, described by one member as "The Dark Period," performed a few songs separately. The comical "Lizzie Borden" and "Dear Old Bates," created by one of their peers for music composition class, received enthusiastic responses from the audience.

Continued...

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