By Whitney Sorensen
When the Ragan Theater at UVU hosted the on-campus male a cappella group VoiceLine on April 3, 2018, the nine-guy ensemble demonstrated that the only instrument you need to make music is your voice. They brought all the high energy (and high notes) their fans have come to expect, and entertained every member of the audience.
I’ve been to several VoiceLine shows before, and though their lineup changes year to year, they always bring fun music mash-ups and astounding vocal skills to the stage. The current members are Steve Koplin, Michael Armstrong, Jake Arnold, Phil Childs, Talmage Sanders, Scott Schreiner, Brian Sheperd, Josh Starita, and Rylan Sturm.
They opened the show with a number I haven’t heard from them before, “The Greatest Show” from The Greatest Showman. Stage lights strobed on and off during the first minute, matching the opening choral chants of the song. This effect built the excitement in the crowd before the nine guys walked out to own the stage for the next 90 minutes.
VoiceLine’s members have diverse vocal talents, and each man got to showcase his individual skills during the concert. Childs took his voice into the falsetto range during a few songs. Bass Arnold took lead on a crowd-pleasing cover of “Would You Go With Me?”, a nice fit for his deep voice. It was fun to see them call up a member of the audience for a serenade during this number.
My personal favorite tune of the night was “It’s Not Unusual,” a song from another generation that is upbeat and recognizable enough to be a real crowd-pleaser. Schreiner sang lead for this number, acting as the perfect focal point for the 60s-inspired dance moves going on around him. I felt transported to a Rat Pack lounge, thanks to the black pants, shiny shoes, silver ties, and dinner jackets sported by every member of the group.
A highpoint of any VoiceLine show is the spotlight on one of their vocal percussionists. During this performance, the honor went to Shepherd. He not only did the trick of using his mouth as a full drum kit but also imitated a DJ’s turntables and created his own dubstep tune. As always, I was wowed by the sheer unbelievability of the skill.
VoiceLine has all the makings of a top-notch a cappella group, but their choreography was more polished on some numbers. Longtime VoiceLine member Koplin was the most precise with his movements, which makes him the perfect main voice for tunes like “Friend Like Me” and “Uptown Funk” that demand energy. Some of the best songs were the slower ones, including “Fix You” and “From the Ground Up,” because they allowed each performer to focus on vocals and meshing as a group.
If you’ve never seen an a cappella group perform live before, make sure you get tickets to the next VoiceLine event. They always provide a family- and budget-friendly show that makes the audience want to “Shut Up and Dance.”
VoiceLine presents VoiceLine: Live in Concert
UVU Ragan Theater, 800 W University Parkway, Orem, Utah 84097
April 3 7:30 PM
Tickets: $8-10
Contact: 801-863-8797
VoiceLine on Facebook
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