by Abigail Hall
Salisbury Post
On May 26, students and parents gathered at the auditorium of Salisbury High School for the second annual Live at the Hive, a benefit concert showcasing musicians of Rowan County high schools. The Key club sponsored the event. Ticket proceeds and donations were given to the Rowan County Animal Shelter.
The music kicked off with the Salisbury High School band Clay Dies Young. The performance had a rocky start when a member began in a different key than had been rehearsed, confusing the band. But once that was corrected, the rest of their set went off without a hitch, and a forgiving crowd cheered them along.
They continued to play cover songs and originals, including a piece written and performed on the piano by Erin House. They finished with a beautiful rendition of Jimmy Eat World’s “Hear You Me,” dedicated to the memory of Paul Mendez, a graduate of Salisbury High who recently lost his battle with cancer. This emotional performance earned a standing ovation from the crowd.
Next on the stage came Jackie Huntington, who, according to her myspace, is not a musician but a “musical slam poet.” The audience clapped along to her quirky acoustic folk. She finished with “Depression,” the song she is best known for.
Huntington was followed by Christian Dionne, who was already on stage after climbing up to dance to “Depression.” Sarah Canup sang the first three songs while Dionne played guitar. He then continued solo, playing and singing soothing and sad cover songs as well as originals.
Next, East Rowan band Planet Terror added some excitement to the stage. The lights went out and the crowd cheered before the band could even be seen. The band invited the audience to gather around the stage, and this is where they stayed, dancing and singing along, for the rest of the show. Formed only three weeks before the performance, Planet Terror had already gained many loyal fans.
Next on stage was singer and guitarist Dylan Gilbert, who gave an innovative, electronically-enhanced performance. He charmed the audience with witty remarks between sentimental songs such as “Darling Don’t Forget My Name,” a song about being an old man.
Crowd favorite Foreign Conduct travelled from the year 2037 in a cardboard spaceship to provide the final act of the night. Despite the rough exit of the spacecraft, Foreign Conduct rocked the stage with high-energy cover songs as almost the entire audience joined them on stage to dance and sing.
Having collected the highest amount of donations, Planet Terror jumped on stage once again for an encore performance.
Live at the Hive had a lower turnout this year, as many opted instead to travel for Memorial Day weekend. Still, audience members said they had more fun than last year.
“There was a better variety of bands this year” said student Clay Sunding, “and everything ran more smoothly.”
“I like the fact that it was all rock and indie bands this year,” added Jenna Wilson.
The show was able to raise nearly $700 for the Rowan County Animal Shelter.
n n nAbigail Hall is a student intern at the Salisbury Post. She may be contacted 704-797-4271 or abigailrachel@gmail.com.