You would think a Halloween concert would feature “Monster Mash”, “Thriller” or “This is Halloween”. But orchestra director Melissa Meyers, took this years concert in a different direction.
Backwards.
Back to classic hits, to Guns n’ Roses, The Beatles and Beach Boys. There is no other way to describe this show other than phenomenal. The decorations were a kind of whimsical haunting, the music basically rocked and the atmosphere made me feel like I was on the scare floor from Monsters Inc.

The Decorations
Each entrance to the performing arts center was decorated, one for those with a low tolerance for fear and another for the slightly more outrageous. While I heard murmurs of the kid-friendly hallway being too much like a carnival and not enough like Halloween, I disagree. The pink and blue streamers, multi colored balloons and stuffed animals littering the hallway were a kids paradise. Halloween doesn’t have to always fit the stigma created, it’s a time of the year to be different and if that means a carnival hallway instead of a haunted one, so be it. The cliche haunted hallway was also well done, yes it may have been predictable but isn’t all of Halloween? The dimly lit hallway was filled with black and orange, tombstones and skeletons. Once the hallway was cleared, the PAC opened up to a musical haunted house feel. With metallic violin bats hanging from the ceiling paired with levitating cd’s (fishing wire, nice choice orchestra), topped off with ghosts and spiders, the decorations were the perfect balance between cliche and classical.

The Music
As for the night of throwback hits, Meyers, you picked well. It was a nice change to hear iconic songs with simply the music. While a couple songs were shaky, all four orchestras performed beautifully and had me singing along (in my head of course, I already looked like a weirdo enough in costume). Possibly the two best parts of the concert were Meyers surprising even some of her own students and breaking out in song to the closing piece, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns n’ Roses, and the featured performance by AP Psychology teacher, Aaron Portenga and band director, Ian Novoselich. Meyers was decked out in her Doc Martin’s, Guns n’ Roses band shirt, black bandana and leather accents, the perfect role to take on a song by Axle Rose. When it came to the performance by Novoselich and Portenga, their fox onesies were the icing on the cake as they gyrated around stage trying to explain what the fox says while the orchestra mastered the music in the background.

The Costumes
I don’t know what was better, the duct tape Kiss on stage, or the costumes I saw in the audience. They ranged anywhere from disney characters to a bathroom set and even a few animals here and there. I’m pretty sure I counted 6 Annas and 9 Elsas from the new hit “Frozen”, not to mention the two Elsa costumes on stage. There was a wide range of people who went all out

All in all, Meyers and the four orchestras outdid themselves. I’ve been to countless concerts and this one definitely makes my top five. The costumes were outstanding, the music was picked and played wonderfully, the decorations and random surprises really livened up the night. Meyers’ husband was also a nice touch with his cheesy halloween jokes and haunting announcer voice.