MIT Logs A Capella Performance
Last Friday night, the esteemed MIT Logs from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology treated students to a performance in the Assembly Hall. The all-male a cappella group visits Exeter each year to grace Exonians with their lively stage presence and pleasing harmonies. Their annual performance reputation draws quite the crowd, including returning students who attend every year, searching for a picture with their favorite member, and students who have never heard of the Logs before.
The performance began abruptly at 8:30 P.M. with the members of the Logs running in from the side entrances to the Assembly Hall and climbing up to the stage. Lower Tori Simon was startled by the sudden beginning, but she felt that it contributed to the fervor of the show. “I was surprised,” she said. “But, it was great because the performance began with energy and the energy carried through.”
The set list consisted of songs of varying genres and natures—from pop songs to the group’s own original songs. Senior Mitchell Kirsch mentioned that he found all of the songs very upbeat and fun to listen to. “I can’t pick a favorite, but I know I danced to all of them,” he said. Each song was accompanied by cheering, clapping and singing from members of the audience, who were engaged throughout the performance.
Prep Shelagh Coombs emphasized the audience interaction, adding that her favorite song was their theme song because “they took input from the audience on their choreography.” At one point, the group invited upper Emily Green onto the stage. This was greeted with whoops from the audience as many friends and peers of Green’s raised their phones and cameras to capture the serenade. Senior Jack Telman said, “I thought it was pretty funny, especially the way they engaged the audience, such as when they serenaded that girl with the love song.”
Junior at MIT and President of the MIT Logs, Neil Aggarwal, talked about his favorite part about performing with the group. “Coming to schools like Exeter where people just love hearing us sing and we get to sing for people and have fun—that’s really what it’s about,” he said. He joined the group during his freshmen year and has been part of it ever since.
Another junior and three-year MIT Logs member, Brandon Sanchez, described the a cappella group as a friend group as well as a singing group. He said, “It’s the same in and out of rehearsals, and it’s very jovial.” The group embraces the visual aspect of their performances, allowing themselves to dance and interact with each other freely on stage while producing mature and beautiful music. As well, each member of the group has signature solid colored shirts and ties that they wear during performances. “That’s just supposed to help in the visual aspect and so that we can excite our audiences and excite ourselves and just make it more colorful and a bit more lively,” Aggarwal explained. The colors contribute to the aesthetic and provide a more vivid image for the audience to hold onto of each individual singer from year to year. Though the singers may not have realized it, many students clutched pictures of themselves with specific group members even years after the performance, eagerly awaiting their turn to remake the pictures and memories from previous performances.
Much like many singing groups at Exeter, the MIT Logs is an entirely student-run group. Some members teach music and choreography during their frequent two hour rehearsals, while others, like Aggarwal, manage the business aspect of the group, creating MIT Logs souvenirs to sell at each performance. Still others work hard to organize performance opportunities, allowing the boys to “gig on a lot of weekends,” as Sanchez put it.
Exonians look forward to the MIT Logs performance every year, expecting to be stunned by their musical talent and vibrant stage presence. The a cappella group has earned fame on campus due to their commitment to come back each year. “We just do this every year because you guys are awesome,” Sanchez said. The MIT Logs and Exonians share a bond over something traditional and exciting—expressive and beautiful music.