<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2e5vfF_0vm5QdYZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2e5vfF_0vm5QdYZ00" width="1763" height="1175" ><figcaption>Canadian indie alternative band Peach Pit performs at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24, in the Braden Auditorium at The Student Bone Center.&nbsp; SAMI JOHNSON | Visual Editor | @samiiiijohnson</figcaption></figure>Alternative indie quartet Peach Pit and their opener, Leah Marlene, performed Tuesday night in the Braden Auditorium at Illinois State University.Peach Pit consists of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Neil Smith, lead guitarist Christopher Vanderkooy, bassist Peter Wilton and drummer Mikey Pascuzzi. They are all high school friends and did not go to college, so Smith had difficulties understanding what ISU’s “homecoming” entailed. (The crowd explained: “Football!”)Peach Pit was invited based on student feedback last spring, with Event Management, Dining and Hospitality (EMDH) sponsoring the performance.According to EMDH Hospitality Coordinator Kacy Rader, communicating with Peach Pit to put on the homecoming show was smooth, as they used a middle agent. However, Marlene was a different story, as EMDH worked directly with her agent and mother for much of her booking.Marlene performed first. She played a guitar-and-vocals-only set full of original songs and a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It, Black,” which the crowd enjoyed.Senior elementary education major Jenna Kremer expressed her enjoyment of Marlene’s performance. “Leah Marlene definitely placed in ‘The Voice’ for a reason. Her vocal runs were so impressive, as well as her guitar skills, and her outfit was so cute,” Kremer said.After Marlene’s performance, the auditorium was filled with excitement. Then, Peach Pit walked on stage and immediately brought the crowd to its feet.Peach Pit played most of the recognizable songs from their discography, which range from songs about exes to ballads about drinking and melodies about marijuana. They played the song, “Did You Love Somebody,” live for the first time from their upcoming album “Magpie.”The nearly sold-out crowd strongly reacted to Vanderkooy’s exaggerated movements on stage, cheering him on and enjoying his musical skills.After the final few songs, the band walked off stage, but the crowd wanted more. The audience cheered a variation of “We want more!” and “Come back out!”After a two-minute wait, the band returned on stage, high-fived everyone in the front row and played a few more songs to end the night. The last of which was the fan favorite, “Shampoo Bottles.”Senior accounting major Abby Schniederjan spoke about her experience watching the Peach Pit portion of the concert.“Peach Pit’s performance was so good, and the lights show was also very nice,” Schniederjan said. “They are really good stage performers, and they had great personalities and great stage presence.”</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

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Peach Pit & Leah Marlene bring the excitement to Illinois State University

Alternative indie quartet Peach Pit and their opener, Leah Marlene, performed Tuesday night in the Braden Auditorium at Illinois State University. Peach Pit consists of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Neil Smith, lead guitarist Christopher Vanderkooy, bassist Peter Wilton and drummer Mikey Pascuzzi. They are all high school friends and...