Original ‘Straight No Chaser’ finds its way home to IU Auditorium

During Straight No Chaser’s rendition of “Till There Was You” from the musical The Music Man, tenor Ryan Ahwardt paused mid-song, looked at his bandmates surrounding him on stage and said, “Woah, that sounds good.”

The audience Monday packed into the IU Auditorium roared in agreement.

The 10-member, male a cappella group, which started singing in Bloomington 14 years ago before becoming YouTube sensations and signing with Atlantic Records in 2008, returned home for a sold-out concert. The group is touring to promote its new album, “With a Twist.”

Mixing humor and music, the ensemble performed arrangements of popular songs including “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra, “How Deep is Your Love” by the Bee Gees, and “Under the Bridge” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as its original theme song, “Straight No Chaser.”

The group’s tour will continue on with stops Wednesday in Massachusetts, Thursday in Connecticut and Friday in New York City on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Throughout the performance, the act repeatedly mentioned how “it was great to be back” and acknowledged some IU notables in attendance such as men’s basketball coach Tom Crean.

“We’ve been on tour to 60 different cities, places like New York and LA,” one group member said, “and there’s only one thing we can say. It’s good to be home. Years ago we had our first show just 200 yards from here at the HPER. Now we sold out the IU auditorium.”

Matt Jacobi, a fan from Greenville, Ind., said he enjoyed the show.

“They’re great,” he said while clutching a Straight No Chaser performance DVD. “I’ve seen them before, and they’re always awesome.”

Lindsey Keller, an audience member who sported a black tote bag emblazoned with the group’s logo, said she was impressed with how diverse Straight No Chaser’s fans are.

“It’s a very different kind of music that appeals to a lot of people,” she said. “I mean, look at their audience. You have grandpas here and people who are college-aged.”
Graduate student Elise Draper said she agreed.

“You’re not going to find this audience at a Justin Timberlake concert,” she said.