Musical performances are almost always crowd pleasers here at SNHU. John Rush, also known as “The Human iPod,” gave a unique and interactive musical performance on the Last Chapter Pub stage on Saturday, March 26. The event was sponsored by the Coordinators of Activities and Programming Events (CAPE).
Free soft pretzels and chicken fingers were available to all attendees. Rush’s title of “The Human iPod” stems from his ability to play hundreds of songs from memory. He brings two massive songbooks to every show, from which audience members flip through and write down songs they want to hear on post-it notes.
Rush reads off the requests in between songs and chooses the next song based on the audience’s response.
“I started playing guitar when I was 12,” said Rush.
When asked what his favorite songs to play are, he said, “Usually songs with a good guitar solo. I tend to work my favorites into the beginning of the show.”
Rush is from Alabama and attended college at the University of Georgia. He then moved to Nashville, Tennessee and began making a name for himself as a solo musician. Rush performed a wide variety of music, including “Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty, “Rude” by MAGIC! and “Santeria” by Sublime.
Not tied down to one era, Rush’s song books contained music that spanned five decades.
CAPE Weekend Chair Matt Montminy, junior, programmed the event.
“I would never put on events that I wouldn’t want to go to myself,” said Montminy.
“My favorite part of the night was seeing the audience participation.”
In addition to having the audience choose the music he played, Rush made his performance even more interactive by handing out percussion instruments and occasionally inviting an audience member to sing alongside him.
Attendee Kea Lopez, sophomore, enjoyed Rush’s performance, “I liked the whole thing, especially how he could play any song. He was cool.”
Rush’s performance energized the crowd with his soulful voice and unique performance style.
