The "Tides Changed" Wednesday night for the Duke University Union-sponsored Hush Sound concert when rain started pelting the outdoor stage just before the scheduled showtime.
The concert, which marked the first time DUU has brought a performer to orientation, was initially slated for 8:30 p.m., but was delayed 30 minutes because of inclement weather. Beloved Binge started playing around 9:20 p.m. before announcing The Hush Sound at 9:45 p.m. Beloved Binge's time on stage was cut short, but The Hush Sound played their entire set.
Senior Vincent Ling, DUU Major Attractions chair, said the weather caused considerable confusion amongst students, who thought the performance had been cancelled. But students started trickling onto the quad as the show got underway, and Ling said The Hush Sound tried especially hard to put on an entertaining show.
"We've just had to make sure that everything was covered immediately-there's a lot of electrical stuff out here," said Kyle Fox, program coordinator for the Office of Student Activities. "[We've been] watching the Doppler on WRAL, trying to predict what the weather would do.... We wanted to make sure everyone was safe-the band, the crew, the students."
Although some freshmen found drier forms of entertainment, about 150 students braved the drizzle to hear the concert.
Freshman Kyle Ulrich, who stumbled upon the concert after watching the Olympics, was upbeat about the weather.
"I guess I'll stay out and listen-there's nothing wrong with a little mud," he said.
But not all students were willing to withstand the precipitation.
"I'm actually thinking about going back to my dorm after the first song," said Kevin Rutter, a freshman who only agreed to answer questions on the condition that he could stand under the reporter's umbrella.
Ling said he appreciated all the students who did turn out.
"I hope that [the students who came to the concert] still had a lot of fun, because the goal was to kick off their orientation with a really good live performance," he said.
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