Colony House Performs On Campus During CFAW April 4

Student Activities hosted a Colony House concert during College for a Weekend (CFAW) April 4. Students, CFAW attendees and the public filled the Vines Center for the indie-rock band’s sixth performance at Liberty University. 

With an impressive 500,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and 200 million worldwide streams of their top songs, Colony House is widely known for hits like “You Know It” and “Silhouettes.” According to Concord Music Group, “‘Silhouettes’ was the #1 most played track on Sirius XM’s Alt Nation for four months straight.” 

Cort Comfort, director of Student Activities, shared the process behind selecting artists who are invited to perform at Liberty.  

“We always want to try to find those artists who are going to appeal to this generation of Liberty University students,” Comfort said. “We do that by seeking them out ourselves, but we also listen to the student body.” 

Student Activities invites students to suggest future performers through Student Activities’ website. 

After already performing five shows on previous occasions at Liberty, Colony House has built a strong reputation for delivering riveting performances — making the group a staple for big events such as CFAW.  

“When it’s a CFAW weekend and we know there’s going to be visitors on campus and it’s just going to be a big weekend for the university, we want to bring a band that we know can bring it,” Comfort said.  

Before the concert began, attendees flooded the entrance and browsed the merchandise tables. 

The indie-rock band, FOX ROYALE, opened the show with their song, “I Don’t Speak the Language.” The rest of their set included “Almost There,” “Panic Attacks” and “Don’t Call Me When You’re Lonely.” Colony House then took the stage by performing “Landlocked Surf Rock” from their album, “The Cannonballers.” The crowd roared as they played additional songs such as “Julia,” “Looking for Some Light,” and “Cannonballers.” 

Toward the end of the concert, lead singer Caleb Chapman saw a student holding a paper sign, asking to play the band’s song ”202” on guitar. After reading the sign aloud, Chapman invited graduate law student Jesse Hughes onto the stage. 

The crowd went wild as Hughes joined Colony House for the requested tune. After Hughes’ performance, the band closed out the night with their classic, “You Know It.” 

“On a whim. I just had a random idea to bring a sign and ask if I could play one of their songs,” Hughes said. “… I didn’t know what to expect … and then near the end of the show, he’s (Champman) like ‘I saw a sign. I saw a sign from God, but I also saw a young man with a sign over here,’ and just pulled me on stage. I got to rock out. It was awesome,” Hughes said. 

Hughes said he appreciated the opportunity to step away from homework to have a little fun.  

“I love these concerts … it’s a great way to get to know new music … and it provides a great break from school — especially in law school,” Hughes said. 

Student Activities hosts many events throughout the year for students to enjoy. As the school year comes to a close, students can look forward to After Party, an end-of-year celebration in the LaHaye Parking Lot happening on April 26 at 5 p.m.. After Party will feature carnival-style rides, food, live music and more. 

To stay up-to-date on Student Activities events, visit Liberty.edu/sa. 

Clinton is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion.