All About the Hot Chelle Rae Concert

Last week, Thursday, September 22nd, Hope College hosted Hot Chelle Rae for a concert in Dimnent Chapel. As you can imagine, this was one of the craziest events so far this year, and the group did not disappoint with their performance. 

Their style of music is reminiscent of the 2010s, with their most popular album titled “Whatever,” released back in 2011. I had the honor of going to this concert with a couple of my friends, and we all agreed that it was a very interesting experience that you just had to be there for. 

Their stage effects were very unique for the venue they were given. They had strobe lights of varying colors that changed with the songs they performed. Given that they performed in Hope’s chapel, this was more than I expected. It did not feel like we were in the chapel, but like we were transported to an outside venue.

The show started with a lot less energy than I would have anticipated, but that didn’t last for long. They began the show with some of their older songs off of “Whatever,” such as “I Like it Like That” and “Whatever.” The songs got the crowd warmed up for the next songs to come, and provided context for those who may not know who Hot Chelle Rae is. Once the show got going, there was a lot of energy that they held for the duration of the concert. 

I also had the honor of sitting next to a Hot Chelle Rae super fan. Fans of the group came to the event very excited to see their favorite songs performed by their favorite group. They sang the words to every single song the group sang and it was glorious. They added so much energy to the show, on top of what the group had been pumping out the entirety of the show. You could hear the sound of students pounding on the pews, screaming and cheering as the group played their hearts out. 

To round out their performance, not only did the band bring out the song “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals, they played their top chart hit, “Tonight, Tonight.” The very second the lead singer of the group, Ryan Keith Follese, sang the first few words, and everyone in the crowd started cheering and yelling out of pure excitement. This was the song we had waited all night for. The entire crowd erupted into singing the song, and it was an incredible thing to experience. 

In the very middle of the song, the lead singer broke into “Ms. Jackson” by Outkast, as well as the “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” theme song. Everyone applauded the group, and Hot Chelle Rae even commented on how they will be returning to campus. 

All and all, I did not know what to expect from this concert— I went into it not knowing very many of their songs. But overall, I enjoyed the music, being with friends who could enjoy it as much as I could, and not having to drive miles off campus to see an amazing performance. Thank you, Hope College Student Activities Committee for a great start to the school year.