By Becca Robb | Echo
Upperclassmen and alumni may remember the "good old days" of lining up outside the chapel and huddling together for warmth in anticipation of Airband and MyGen.
Instead of MyGen this fall, students and alumni will pour into Euler and jive to a variety of tunes and talents. The Student Activities Council (SAC) is collaborating with Alumni Relations to put on the show.
"Because this year's event is held during homecoming, we wanted to allow alumni to feel welcomed," said Katie Evensen, SAC graduate assistant. "So creating this new tradition is something fun for SAC to be a part of."
As alumni flood campus this weekend, students get a unique opportunity to learn from graduates with post-college and post-Taylor experience.
Late Night at Taylor is open to the community at large. The Habeckers might be there. Your grandmother ('67) might be there. The person who lived in your dorm room 12 years ago might be there. Students can enjoy not only the variety of acts, but also the variety of people watching the show.
The emcees, seniors Darius Farmer and Kasey Leander, are putting their heads together to craft a Jimmy Fallon-esque vibe for the night.
Farmer and Leander plan to read tongue-in-cheek letters about life at Taylor, similar to Fallon's "thank you notes." They intend to invite professors and hall directors on stage to interview them and ask them comical questions.
Late Night will be a smaller production than attendees may have come to expect from other Taylor musical traditions. Audiences in the 800-1000 range are the norm for MyGen and Nostalgia Night, according to senior Erin Hoeft, president of SAC. Late Night's venue in Euler can seat about 350 people with standing room available for the overflow.
"This is the fall music performance," Hoeft said. "(I'm excited about) seeing people's reactions to seeing something new."
Hoeft and Evensen said that because the new Student Center is still under construction, it was challenging to find a venue.
"We had to think creatively," Hoeft said. "We talked last year about renting IWU's place, but no. All the fun is in lining up outside."
Attendees may buy seats for $5 or standing tickets for $2 at the top of the DC for either the 7 p.m. or 9 p.m. show.
