I’m not sure what I was expecting when I went to the Tink Ballroom for the UPBeats concert on Saturday, Feb. 4, but I certainly did not foresee it being one of my favorite experiences at Case Western Reserve University.

The concert opened with Vundabar, an indie rock band from Massachusetts. I will confess, I only recognized one song, “Alien Blues,” from the countless TikTok edits I had seen with it. Surprisingly, their other, less popular songs ended up being the most catchy for the crowd. They were incredible performers, engaging the audience with random shouts and “call and response” breaks between songs, where we enthusiastically chanted the lead singer’s babbles back to him. I enjoyed dancing to every song I heard, despite not knowing a single lyric. I also Google’d half their songs during the performance to add to my playlists—something I am not ashamed of. After their performance, my friends snagged pictures and conversation with the lead singer Brandon Hagen, and he was the most laid back and grateful performer I had ever seen.

After the opener, I was expecting the energy to subside, but on the contrary, the audience was energized, buzzing with excitement for Jeremy Zucker’s upcoming performance.

Zucker has been an undeniable success over the past few years. In May 2018, Zucker graduated from college with a degree in molecular biology. He first gained worldwide attention with his viral song, “comethru,” which describes his feelings of loneliness and boredom after moving back to his hometown upon graduating. Now, he has over 12 million monthly listeners on Spotify and an abundance of devoted fans.

Because of his relatively recent college graduation and his STEM education, Zucker seemed to understand his CWRU audience very well. During one of his song breaks, he even commented on walking through Tinkham Veale University Center and observing the many people studying and watching lecture videos on a Saturday night, something CWRU students are all too familiar with. He easily matched the energy of the crowd, and as an introvert himself—an INFP, according to his Instagram stories—he carried the charisma and approachability that perfectly complemented CWRU students’ vibes.

Going into his concert, I only knew a few of his songs, mainly his most famous ones. The first time I ever heard Zucker’s music was in 2019, when my mom showed me his music video for “comethru.” This was such a rare experience for me, as my mom almost never actively listens to any Western music and usually only enjoys songs that my brother and I pick out for her. So when Zucker played the opening notes for “comethru” live, I was surprised to notice tears pricking my eyes, reminding me of home and the excitement my mom felt that day showing me that song, all that time ago. I could only imagine how connected his fans felt in that moment, especially the ones who had been listening to him for years, knew his songs by heart and had formed special memories with them.

Zucker’s music leans on the more mellow and emotional side, with songs about breakups, growing up and feeling alone, so the rest of the concert was filled with soft, touching songs like “you were good to me” and my favorite comfort song, “always, i’ll care.” The crowd loved him more with every song, especially after he stopped to take a BeReal for a fan. Everything he did, from describing books he was currently reading to playing an unreleased song for us, was warmly received by CWRU.

I love when UPB does events like these and so do other students—the turnout is telling. As much as students complain about the lack of spirit at CWRU, and despite the hints of truth in all of the Ohio memes, sometimes the passion at our university is undeniable. In between songs, Zucker even mentioned that his group usually does two types of college concerts, outside or in auditoriums, but that “this is the best one we’ve had of this [latter] type.” He loved CWRU’s enthusiasm and even though he knew we were studying, he was glad we took a break. Before going into one of his next songs, he mentioned, “I’m glad you’re all out here,” which was sweet and appreciated. And honestly, I’m glad he was here too, to bring out the passion and enthusiasm that CWRU students often keep hidden.