Right after moving to his new home in the City of Angels, Zac Barnett took a day trip to Universal Studios to have some time to himself and let loose before he travels to Wisconsin with the rest of the American Authors.
Barnett is the lead vocalist and guitarist and has been with the band since its beginnings in 2006.
The Homecoming concert, one of the highlights of the week, will be tonight at 7 p.m. at Central Mall and feature the American Authors and Rachel Platten.
The American Authors will be Platten’s opening act. They have performed together before. Barnett said that the band enjoys getting to work with other artists, especially Platten.
“We love Rachel Platten,” Barnett said. “We’ve done a bunch of shows with her. She’s a good friend of ours. She’s always a blast.”
They have done five to 10 shows together. Rachel Platten, the American Authors and Jason Derulo at the UCCU Center this September.
Aside from performing with Platten, the band is looking forward to performing for a college audience. In between tours, the band has a hand in choosing what they do and where they perform. While those shows can have hit or miss crowds, Barnett said the college crowd is a personal favorite.
“You get a lot of people who know the band, but even the new listeners are still super stoked to be there,” Barnett said. “I don’t think I’ve had a bad college show.”
Aside from singing for a college crowd, he said he was excited to come to Milwaukee because it’s a place he normally does not have an opportunity to travel to.
Barnett compared the upcoming show to a party, and mentioned that it will be complete with mashups, covers and original songs. The mix is a way for them to keep the set fresh.
“(We) perform a lot of new songs and a lot of old songs, keeping the set super fun, super fresh,” Barnett said.
Mixing up the set is a tactic to keep the audience engaged throughout the night.
“There’s never a time in the set that (the audience) will be bored. (Audiences are) gonna know a song, every couple songs or a few songs. For me, that’s always more enjoyable when I see a band in concert.”
While the musician opted to keep the set a secret, audiences are still ecstatic to attend the concert tonight.
“We have two pretty great artists and (the concert) is one thing to set us apart as a university,” Zack Wallace, former MUSG president and Marquette alumnus, said.
Wallace said that since a lot of larger schools have regular concerts, some students felt like they have been missing out. They hope to continue the concert tradition. In order for that to happen, attendance has to be high and reactions have to be positive.
Barnett said the show should live up to expectations.
“It’s gonna be life changing and epic,” Barnett said. “It’s gonna be a moment you’ll always remember.”
The relationship between the performers and the crowd will also add to the party feel of the show. Performers often feed off energy from the crowds.
“(It) should be good vibes all around,” he said.
With a lively atmosphere, Barnett is ready for the after party. He said it is his favorite part of every show.
But first, Barnett and his bandmates have to meet their self-set expectations of giving a flawless performance.
“I hope no one (messes) up and then I hope I don’t forget any lyrics,” Barnett said.
