By Ryan Broderick, Editor-at-Large
On Thursday, December 3, Hofstra Concerts, The Pride Network, The ONE Campaign and Schools For Schools held an event to support HIV & AIDS research. Performing was Catch 22, Sigma’cappella, Bryen Reeves, SP!T, M.O.B. Stars, Shake It!, 6th Element, Makin’ Treble, and H-Money, and New Jersey ska legends Catch 22.
The event was well received, if not a little sparse in attendance. Throughout the night prizes were raffled off, donated by local businesses like Pita Lovers, Dunkin Donuts, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and Napolini’s.
The opening and closing student acts were well picked and were definitely entertaining. Highlights of the night were Hofstra’s a capppella group Sigma’cappella and the acts associated with 6th Element.
But the headliner of the night, Catch 22 was certainly the main draw of the night. For those unfamiliar with the group’s history, they lost their original opening line-up upon the release of their breakthrough “Keasbey Nights.” The main songwriters of “Keasbey Nights” went on to form Streetlight Manifesto.
Because of that, there is the unfortunate reality that most Catch 22 live performances and releases are judged against Streetlight Manifesto. So that leads to the question, was Catch 22 last Thursday as good as their big band counterparts?
No, they weren’t as good, but at the same time it seems like the years have given Catch 22 a lot of time to cultivate an identity separate from the scraps of “Keasbey Nights”
Of course, they still cover “Keasbey Nights” songs, which they do well and the crowd definitely enjoys it. Their new skas are bit bland, and sound a little too close to a jam band for comfort, but they fit nicely.
Ultimately, Catch 22 showed their age, but definitely played well in spite of it. Plus, at the end of the night, Catch 22 along with the other Hofstra groups, were there for a good cause. The only real blemish of the night was the crowd, or lack there of.
Catch 22 headlined the show to support HIV/AIDS research at Hofstra USA (Ryan Broderick/ The Chronicle)