Phil Vassar performs for enthusiastic fans

“Chug it, chug it, chug it!” an enthusiastic Bluebird crowd chanted to Phil Vassar as he held his cup of beer Thursday night during his Bloomington stop on his first-ever acoustic tour. A fun college crowd is what Vassar was hoping for, and that is exactly what he got. \n“The energy is going to be great since it’s such a young, college crowd,” said Vassar, a country singer and songwriter. “And that feeds into your show a lot.” \nThe crowd’s energy was evident as the night started with a performance by Vassar’s Universal Records South label mate and singer/songwriter Jennifer Hanson,. Hanson’s performance lasted 30 minutes, illuminating her current single, “Beautiful Goodbye,” and “Leave the Pieces” sung by The Wreckers. With similar styles of country music, Hanson and Vassar relay many of their own life experiences through songwriting and performing. \n“That’s the great thing about country music – it’s real life and real stories when it comes right down to it,” Hanson said. \nFans were receptive of the acoustic scene, waving their arms and yelling out the titles of their favorite tunes. In fact, the show was constructed primarily through fan requests. \n“You can kind of go up there and don’t have a set list or anything,” Vassar said. “No preconceived ideas of what you’re going to do that night, you just walk out there and start playing and just ask everyone what they want to hear and play that.” \nApart from fans shouting out songs, requests crowd-surfed up to Vassar on torn cardboard pieces and drink napkins. After the wishes reached the hands of the lively performer, Vassar put his fingers to work on the piano and the small Bluebird venue turned into what seemed like a filled amphitheater. \nVassar, accompanied by lead guitarist Jeff “J-Dawg” Kelly, connected musically to create a bond with the fans. Especially through an acoustic performance, baring your soul and exposing yourself as an artist makes the electricity between the fans and the artist that much stronger, Hanson said. \nVassar said he feels the connection when the entire venue is singing in sync. \n“When you’re up there and they’re singing your songs back to you, it’s the ultimate payoff,” Vassar said. “It’s the climax of what we do.” \nConcert attendees reciprocated the chemistry of the night. IU alumna Lacy Beckman said she would go to another concert because of Vassar’s activeness and interaction with the crowd. \n“When it comes to country songwriters, he’s at the top of the game,” said IU senior Tim Roy. \nVassar performed many of the songs from his Greatest Hits album, including “In a Real Love,” “Little Red Rodeo,” “Just Another Day in Paradise” and “Six-Pack Summer.” He also mixed things up during the concert by performing “Piano Man” by Billy Joel, “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd and “Summer Nights” from the musical “Grease.” \nBecause she’s a newer artist than Vassar, Hanson hopes her Indiana fans will have a better sense of who she is as an artist and songwriter after hearing her perform. \n“Hopefully they feel like they’ve gotten to know me a little bit through these intimate acoustic performances,” Hanson said. “It really gives myself and Phil an opportunity to really talk to the crowd and engage them, and sometimes in those bigger venues, you can’t do that.” \nWith one week left of performances, Vassar is optimistic about how his first acoustic tour is turning out. However, as it nears the conclusion, he said he finds himself not wanting it to end. Another acoustic tour is likely for next year, Vassar said. \n“I’m really having fun doing it,” Vassar said. “I don’t even know if I expected having this much fun doing the acoustic tour, and I kind of don’t want it to end, but it’s ending this week.”