Photos by Paige Mast
Story by Bailey Brantingham
Students might not expect an artist to add a quick tour stop at their Student Union Ballroom in between performances at two major music festivals.
But, Del Water Gap isn’t interested in adhering to expectations. The indie pop artist made an unexpected stop in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to perform for MTSU students during his penultimate show of the year.
On Wednesday night, MTSU’s SPARE hosted the mid-week night of musical reprieve for students. Del Water Gap headlined the fall concert, with student artist Sav. and MTSU-grown singer-songwriter Cece Coakley joining him on the bill.
Match Records’ own Savannah Spann, known by her artist name Sav., helped open the show. She delivered an ode to her recent release “Waiting Game,” with an EP-heavy setlist, accompanied by a palette-cleansing performance of “Taste” by Sabrina Carpenter.
Cece Coakley provided a second opening soundtrack for the night, her solo electric guitar indie-pop sound sprinkled with elements of folk. The Knoxville, Tennessee, native and MTSU graduate is a blend of artists like Clairo and Faye Webster, in both appearance and sound, with a vocal inflection similar to past MTSU performer Phoebe Bridgers.
Coakley needed only her guitar to move the audience with songs like “Whatever” and “865,” separating tracks with anecdotes about her drive to Murfreesboro and her time at MTSU.
“I am very glad to report that the STU still smells like the Panda Express,” Coakley said before introducing “Whatever.” “I’m very glad to be back, and this next song is about dating somebody who went to school here. This is a very relatable experience to only so few people. And you guys are those few people.”
At 8:15 p.m., S. Holden Jaffe, known onstage as Del Water Gap, emerged, chewing a piece of gum beneath his hoodie and camo Bass Pro Shops baseball cap.
Jaffe opened the set with “Coping on Unemployment.” He stood center stage, flanked by his guitarist and elevated drummer and dual keyboard and bass player, who both played from platforms.
The set started out as somewhat tame, with Jaffe walking from side to side onstage occasionally. During the second song, he kicked the antics up a notch. The microphone and guitar cords quickly became a safety hazard. Jaffe galloped around the stage, leaning on his guitarist and jumping up on a platform to shimmy with his drummer.
Jaffe played an array of Del Water Gap bangers, along with a healthy dose of newer tracks from his most recent release, a deluxe version of his album “I Miss You Already + I Haven’t Left Yet.” One of the newest tracks, “Purple Teeth, The Bravery,” bathed the band in purple hues, with Jaffe remarking that it was his first time playing it in Tennessee.
After reading a few makeshift signs from the audience, Jaffe heeded the request from one student asking him to perform his 2024 single “Cigarettes & Wine,” thus beginning a few rounds of commissioned requests.
After approving the song, Jaffe asked the eager requestee to join him onstage for the duet.
“Do you know the words?” Jaffe asked. “Would that be easy to pull up? Alright, let’s do it. Can you come up here?”
Student Eva Rath replaced the duet’s original featured artist, Holly Humberstone, for an impromptu rendition of the track. Jaffe seemed awestruck as Rath took the mic for a verse, the lyrics pulled up on her phone to avoid a misstep.
“I think Holly just lost her job,” Jaffe joked.
After the duet, the floodgates for song requests opened. The lucky audience member this time was a student requesting the 2021 Del Water Gap song “Perfume” in exchange for $10.
Jaffe approved the request — and encouraged the payment.
“This is our last show of the year in America, so, I guess we’re going off block — we’re just gonna go requests,” Jaffe said. “This one’s ‘Perfume.’ And you owe me $10.”
He proceeded to share his Venmo username.
After “Perfume,” Jaffe opened the set up to another round of requests, asking if anyone else wanted to spend $10.
Jaffe then played “Beach House,” per fan request, and afterward took a quick break to inquire if anyone had any good campus gossip. One fan jumped up and down with her hand in the air, eager to share an MTSU story. She and Jaffe discussed the presence of dueling wizards, aliens and giant bananas around campus.
Following the bewildering conversation, the song requests turned auction style. One student offered $100 for Jaffe to play the 2023 ode “NFU.” He raised the bid to $150 for any other song requests and, after he got no takers, performed “NFU.”
$100 appeared to be Jaffe’s limit. He strongly discouraged any audience members from actually sending him that much money.
Jaffe’s final song needed no introduction. He took the time during the extended intro of his biggest hit, “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat,” to express an earnest notion with the college crowd, ending the show while still chewing the same piece of gum.
“I’ve played in front of a lot of f—ing people this year, and this has truly been one of my favorite nights playing music,” Jaffe said. “You guys are special, really. It was so nice to meet you all and I can’t wait to come back … I’ll see you somewhere.”
Bailey Brantingham is the Lead Lifestyles Reporter for MTSU Sidelines
To contact the Lifestyles Editor, email lifestyles@mtsusidelines.com.
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