The Varsity Men’s Glee Club has a long-standing reputation on campus for putting on fun and unique shows, and have always had the ability to induce fits of laughter throughout their audience while maintaining an orderly and thoughtful set list.

The Glee Club is no stranger to me, as I have attended numerous wildly entertaining shows put on by these men. They always have me smiling with the additions of their goofy quips and silly numbers.

However, what really has always impressed me about the Varsity Men’s Glee Club is their ability to put all humor aside and pay special attention to the traditional songs that Glee Club men have been singing since the 1960s.

While many can appreciate a good joke, everybody can appreciate sticking to those traditions and singing the songs that made the Glee Club so popular in the first place.

At the beginning of every school year, the Glee Club puts on a “Welcome Home” concert welcoming both new and returning students to UNI’s campus. And what better way to welcome students back than with a fun and cheery performance of young boisterous men messing around and having a good ole time on stage!

I went to the men’s “Welcome Home” concert my freshman year and got the opportunity to attend one again this past Friday. And man, I’ve got to say, nothing about the Varsity Men’s Glee Club performances are boring or overdone.

These men provide a fresh and totally unique concert, and every time I attend a performance – whether it be their Spring concert, widely-adored Christmas Variety Show or just a beginning of the year “welcome back” concert – I always have a great time.

One thing I particularly enjoyed about this year’s “Welcome Home” concert was the wide variety of large-group ensemble songs and smaller a cappella group numbers. Nobody likes watching a choir concert that only uses one single formation of stiff bodies placed so ridiculously snug side-by-side that they look like an uncomfortable can of sardines.

We’ve all been there, and it’s honestly so hard to watch. The Glee Club men were anything but boring to watch. They would go from singing a gorgeous ballad about their beloved university to breaking into small groups to get down and dirty with an a cappella Billy Joel cover. It was awesome.

They also included cute little crowd participation games between songs, including a rousing game of “Would You Rather.” No, I’m not kidding. We seriously played “Would You Rather” at a college choir concert.

However, this wasn’t any ordinary game of “Would You Rather.” The men asked questions that related to UNI, one of my personal favorites being, “Would you rather have a personal UNI golf cart to cruise around campus with or unlimited trips to the dining center?” (I was very torn on this answer).

The game was so cute and fun, and it was a great way to get the crowd more into the concert but also sport their UNI pride.

The Varsity Men’s Glee Club has always surprised me in the best kinds of ways, and they kicked off the school year with a fabulous “Welcome Home” concert. Although the bar has been set pretty high, I look forward to attending the rest of their concerts this year and am especially stoked to check out what they have in store for the famous “Christmas Variety Show” come this winter.