The Tar Heel Voices' "Mustn't See TV" spring concert Saturday evening, like most every show they do, was one of those performances.
A curious mix of beautiful a cappella music and skits, each song showcased a different vocalist, and each group member was given a chance to shine. While every person had his own distinct sound and style, they all had one mission -- to entertain.
From the very first song, The Who's "Pinball Wizard," you could feel that rush, almost like the chills, running up your spine. As the vocal guitar licks, "Bi ni nirrrrr," came in, the feeling turned your head into one huge smiley face.
The next selection, Dido's "Thank You," was simply amazing. Soloist Heather Sheehan nearly brought down the house with a sweet but powerful voice, making Dido and Elton John's versions hopelessly amateur by comparison.
But that was just the beginning. The first half of the concert was broken up by skits parodying shows like MTV's "TRL" and neo-classics like "Dawson's Creek."
Not every skit was comedic gold, but more than a few were outright hilarious, most notably the spoof on "The Man Show." Aptly titled "The Woman Show," the skit featured two female hosts promising every show would be chock-full of "wine coolers, Jockeys (the male Juggies) and men apologizing."
Meanwhile, the music continued to floor the audience, from Cami Kotsionis' sensual solo on Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart," to Andrew Smith's MC skills on a brilliantly arranged Outkast medley ("So Fresh and So Clean" and "Ms. Jackson").
From the goofy antics of Sam Taylor, River-Dancing and stirring the pot through his solo on The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star," to Dave Willner's beautiful rendition of Garth Brook's "She's Every Woman," the concert maintained consistent quality. It was refreshing to see a musical group that takes entertaining the audience -- but not itself -- very seriously.
The only letdown was a last minute set change that cut two songs from the set. Luckily, a standing ovation was enough to bring the group out to blow the audience away one more time with Madonna's "Like a Prayer" before calling it a night.
