Students, faculty and the public piled into the Benson for the Mat Kearney concert on Feb. 21. Kearney is originally from Eugene, Ore. but is now based in Nashville, Tenn. He made his way to Searcy for the Campus Activities Board concert, accompanied by indie rock band Colony House from Franklin, Tenn.

Kearney opened the concert with one song, followed by an invitation for the audience to join along for the ride.

“Harding University, here we are.” Kearney said. “You guys are awesome. We’re going for gold. Are you ready?”

Kearney performed at Harding in Sept. 2007 and has lived in the South for several years, but this visit to Arkansas was his first in several years.

“I haven’t been to Arkansas in years,” Kearney said. “It’s a pleasure to be here with you. Thank you so much for having us.”

Kearney took the audience on a journey through his life, telling stories before several songs that described their significance and where he was when he wrote them. His song “Nothing Left to Lose,” which peaked at No.41 on the Billboard Hot 100 in Feb. 2007, described his life journey when he began singing and songwriting during his sophomore year of college.

Kearney interacted with the audience numerous times throughout the show and even invited a student, Davis Hudson, onstage to play drums with the band during “All I Have.” Kearney also made Harding-specific references during a freestyle portion at the end of “Undeniable,” which included the Lady Bisons basketball team. He then jumped off the stage and ran through the crowd in the middle of a song, continuing to sing and maintain composure, despite the hundreds of screaming fans he had to maneuver.

Kearney slowed things down with his song, “All I Need,” which he said he wrote when his friend moved in with him after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The song includes lyrics like, “If everything we’ve got is slipping away, I meant what I said when I said until my dying day. I’m holding onto you, holding onto me. Maybe it’s all gone black but you’re all I see.”

During the encore, Kearney maintained his sentimental spirit by performing what he called a personal and rarely performed song. He introduced the song, “Rochester,” by telling a family story, which involved his grandfather and the mob, and how his father and mother met in Hawaii and then moved to Eugene, Ore. to raise a family.

“Can I play something I don’t always play?” Kearney said. “I feel kind of into you guys.”

After his final song, “Ships in the Night,” Kearney exited the stage with a heartfelt goodbye and a wave, thanking Harding once again for having him.