Pop singer-songwriter and national recording artist Tyrone Wells played a stripped down, acoustic show in Ice Auditorium on April 2.
Wells played songs from his new album, “Remain.” One of the songs, “In Between the Lines,” aired on a Feb. 2 episode of “American Idol.”
“I didn’t know any of the songs, but the concert was good, and it was incredible to see how well-known Tyrone was with many of the students,” junior Nicole Bond, incoming ASLC vice president of programming, said. “A lot of people already knew his songs and sang along with him.”
Wells has visited Linfield on three other occasions in the last several years and expressed his interest for a fourth time. He even offered to cut his performance fee in half, Associated Students of Linfield College President-elect Colin Jones said.
Roy Jay, a folk rock band, and Tony Lucca, an acoustic performer, opened the concert; Lucca also performed duets with Wells for a handful of songs.
“Even though the concert didn’t sell out, like we had hoped, the attendance was still greater than last year, and Ice Auditorium was full of people expecting to see Tyrone put on a great show,” Community Service Coordinator Jessica Wade said.
The concert was held for the benefit of the Linfield Alternative Spring Break program, an community service program that began in 2005. Its aim is to engage students in meaningful service and encourage lifelong civic leaders through a week of service opportunities.
This year, 30 students, faculty and staff participated on two ASB teams: the Northwest Sustainability Challenge and the Habitat Collegiate Challenge. Both groups focused on different service projects, such as the installment of new bike racks on campus.
ASLC provided Wells’ performance fee, and, as a result, all of the proceeds went toward the 2011 ASB fundraising program, which Jones said is completely student-funded. This year, 206 tickets were sold and $1,460 was raised, a slight increase from last year, he said.
Jones said that a benefit concert has been held consistently during the past few years because it proved to be a successful fundraiser.
Wade supervises the ASB program. She said this year was successful and that the program’s progress was made thanks to the well-known musical act, which made the event more entertaining and fun.
Wells’ music has been featured on television series such as “Army Wives,” “Criminal Minds,” “Everyone’s Hero,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “Numbers,” “One Tree Hill,” “Rescue Me,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “What About Brian” and “The 50 Greatest Moments at Madison Square Garden.” His music will also be used on the next season of “Grey’s Anatomy.”
Since its beginning, approximately 115 students have participated in more than 4,300 hours of community service with ASB. However, as some students are still unfamiliar with the program, Wade and Jones both said that they hope to spread ASB’s message and to make it more popular with students in the future.
Jessica Prokop
Culture reporter Jessica Prokop can be reached at [email protected]
CORRECTION:
Wells has appeared on campus four times as a professional singer. The Review apologizes for the mistake. (4/18/10)
