On Monday night Harding welcomed American Idol winner Phillip Phillips to the Benson stage. The concert, initially to be held in the Administration Auditorium, quickly sold out and moved to the Benson Auditorium. A line consisting of students, Searcy locals and others who traveled from as far as Abilene began to form about two hours before the concert began.
Opening for Phillips was The Fable and the Fury, a band of five Christian musicians local to the Searcy area. While only three of their five members were in attendance for the performance, their sound was full and smooth and there was no apparent lack of musical presence in their performance.
Phillips gave a warm welcome after his opening number and continued to address the audience off and on throughout the performance. While Phillips’ stage presence was not as inviting as other musicians that have come to Harding, he was congenial and relaxed with the audience.
The cellist in Phillips’ band exhibited incredible talent and skill and was stated by several audience members to have stolen the show.
Phillips won the crowd over with covers of “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder and “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins. His most popular single, “Home,” had the biggest response from the audience, as expected. After his final song, Phillips and the cellist returned to the stage to perform two songs for the encore.
The concert overall was fairly short and sweet, ending at about 10 p.m. A few students were able to meet Phillips, request autographs and take pictures after the concert.
The Campus Activities Board brought another excellent performer to the stage and students are eagerly looking forward to who they will bring next.
