UVM Top Cats Medlife Show

by Ruby LaBrusciano-Carris

Although the night had started to wane back into chilliness after the burst of sun on Friday evening, there was still a sizeable crowd packed into the Billings Library for the Top Cats concert, for the benefit of UVM’s Medlife program. The atmosphere was lively and excited in the crowd, either buzzing from the excitement of on of our first spring-like days or anticipation of the show to come, or both.

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The Top Cats opened the show with their classic pomp, running in from either side of the audience in bare feet and suits, to take their places at the front of the stage and dive into the first set. As FeelGood sandwiches grilled quietly away in the back of the room, the group sang a wide range of songs and styles, ranging from throwback RnB hits like R. Kelly’s “Ignition”, to the quiet yet powerful harmonies of Bastille’s “Pompeii”, to the gospel staple of “Roll Jordan Roll”.

The singers never forgot to keep plugging for their partners in organizing the benefit concert; the Medlife organization. At a halftime break, one of the Medlife leaders gave a short talk and showed a brief video outlining Medlife’s goals. Primarily, the group is composed of UVM students who bring medicine and aid to developing countries, mainly in Central and South America, as purely volunteer work. The video included testaments from a number of students affiliated with the program who spoke about the profound impact that it had on their lives, as well as lots of inspirational footage of the on-the-ground work of this organization. There was certainly no shortage of good feeling for all of Medlife’s hard work from the crowd.

As the evening wore on, the Top Cats reappeared for their second set, with just as many jovial smiles and as much finger-snapping and toe-tapping as ever. The group was clearly musically tight, and with every song they managed to find the sweet spot between the precision of a well-rehearsed tune, and the energy and vitality of one that has just been sung for the first time. The audience could not have been more enthusiastic, and the positivity that filled the old library was nearly tangible. It was a night well spent for all, from the Top Cats, to Medlife, to FeelGood, and to the audience as well.

If you want to see one of the Top Cats’ shows, keep checking the BORED calendar for upcoming concert dates here: uvmbored.com/club/topcats

If you want to learn more about FeelGood you can see their website over here: www.uvm.edu/~feelgood/Welcome.html

Or if you’re interested in the activities of UVM’s Medlife, you can check them out on UVM’s Lynx website, here: thelynx.collegiatelink.net/organization/medlife/about