NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Steel Band at Stephen F. Austin State University will present "Blasts From the Past" when the ensemble performs at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.
Featuring arrangements of songs from the 1960s through 2016, "Blasts From the Past" will showcase the music of popular recording artists throughout the decades, including The Spice Girls, Tom Petty, Twenty One Pilots, Adele, One Direction, Santana, The Beatles, Cyndi Lauper, Aqua and more. The program will also include more traditional steel band tunes, according to Dr. Brad Meyer, director of percussion studies at SFA and of the Steel Band.
"This concert is going to be great for all ages," Meyer said. "Come and sing along with your favorites songs from your childhood."
Among the featured tunes is "Barbie Girl" by Aqua, which was a hit single in the late '90s.
"The lyrics are probably still stuck in listeners' heads from 20 years ago," Meyer said.
The program also includes The Spice Girls' "Wannabe," which Meyer describes as "a fun, energetic tune that is sure to get the audience out of their seats as they dance and sing along with this infectious song that was an international smash hit."
The SFA Steel Band will also perform an arrangement of "Heathens" by Twenty One Pilots. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and was the feature track for the 2016 movie "Suicide Squad."
Cole Concert Hall is located in the Tom and Peggy Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Drive.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.
Axe ’Em, Jacks!