httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuTDcV9BXLU
Lead guitarist Derik Nelson on the hit FOX coemdy show “Glee” and his band performed in the MTHS theater on September 27. MTHS was one of the high schools chosen across the West Coast for his Take Chances Tour.
A portion of the money raised for the concert is going to the Mountlake Terrace Music and Arts Department. There were just under 100 people who attended the show, and the concert earned over $600. This money will go towards the cost of this year’s school musical which is going to cost around $8,000.
“I thought that the concert was really, really good. I feel like our school community really missed out on a great opportunity,” drama director Jeannie Brzovic said.
The crew was a complete package, providing their own instruments, lighting, sound, multimedia, stage effects and even the tickets, VIP passes and poster artworks. CDs, posters, shirts, wristbands and guitar picks were also on sale before and shortly after the concert.
VIP raffle tickets were drawn during the school day, and the winners were sophomores Chloe Sorenson and Daniella Duya, as well as senior Berta Manevich.
Accompanying Nelson on the band were bass guitarist Jack Kovacs, Brian Hargrove on keyboards, drummer Kristen Gleeson-Prata, and Nelson’s siblings Riana and Dalten Nelson, who were in charge of tour management and show production, respectively.
“I thought that they were amazingly professional. They really took a lot of time to make sure that this was a good concert for our school,” Brzovic said.
“They didn’t treat it like they were performing for high school kids, and even though the audience was smaller than what we expected, they didn’t pull back.”
Nelson, as a singer and songwriter, performed many of his original songs during the concert. He also performed covers of many songs including “Wide Awake” by Katy Perry and “Sunday Morning” by Maroon 5.
Nelson dedicated the song “Fix You” by Coldplay to the audience in light of the recent tragedy which struck the school district.
Nelson had an assembly in the theater during 6th period, where he talked about the hardships he went through as a performer, and how he got to where he is now. He started making music when he was 14, so he knew how little funding there is for arts and music programs.
“I just hope that each time they perform, the audience and their fanbase continues to grow. People should recognize Derik Nelson as the artist he is, and not because he plays a role on Glee, but because he is a really talented performer,” Brzovic added.
