Straight No Chaser

Last night Eric, Amanda and I went to see an a capella group called Straight No Chaser in concert. And it was AH-MAZING.

Straight No Chaser was founded by ten Indiana University students back in 1996. Their version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" became a YouTube sensation, and is what first got us interested in the group. Perhaps you have seen this little number before:

VIDEO: Straight No Chaser's arrangement of "The Twelve Days of Christmas"

Awesome, right? They now have released two Christmas albums ("Holiday Spirits" and "Christmas Cheer"). Last year, Eric and I realized they were touring and thought it would be so much fun to see them in concert, but...we were too late and missed their NYC date. This year, however, I was a little more on top of things, and we got tickets!

And what a seriously fantastic show. The singing, of course, was superb, but they are also just great performers. They had such a great interaction with each other and were very funny. The did both Christmas and non-Christmas songs, and a good mix of slow/beautiful and upbeat/funny. And they did such a wide range of music - everything from "Oh Holy Night," to "Dani California" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, to "Jingle Bells," to "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse. I seriously think I smiled through the entire show. I was a little afraid of looking like a grinning idiot, but it was just a REALLY AWESOME CONCERT.

Here are some pics, as well as a video sampler of some of the songs they performed. I also have more complete videos of the Sitcom Medley and Auld Lang Syne, if you're interested in seeing those - just click the titles to see them! (I apologize for the poor video quality, I shot these videos with our point-and-shoot camera rather than our camcorder.)

At the Nokia Theater

The gentlemen of Straight No Chaser

VIDEO: A sample of some of the songs from last night's concert

Aren't they fantastic? I highly recommend looking into their Christmas albums if you're in the market for that sort of thing. They're also going to be touring again in April, and I promise you will not be disappointed if you make it to one of their shows. They have dates set up all over the place - Tampa, D.C., Pittsburgh, etc. - so check the list and try to go if you can. In case I haven't mentioned, they put on a fabulous show - definitely worth the price of admission!