ICC Shows Talent at Open Mic Night
Tonie Walton
March 30, 2022
Thursday, March 24, Campus Housing and Student Life came together to host an open mic night. This event was held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center (PAC). The campus housing organized the event with Derrick “Diarr” Robinson taking the lead on organizing as well as being acting Master of Ceremonies (MC). The open mic night featured a range of talents on stage from the musically inclined, such as piano, guitar, and singing. This event also featured poem readings, rap, spoken word, and stand-up comedy.
“ICC Open Mic Night was about collaboration, diversity. A showcasing the innate talent of many creators.”
Derrick “Diarr” Robinson
One highlighted performance featured in this showcase had the audience wanting more. Samuel Abbey, a Sophomore at Illinois Central College, performed an original piece, “Little Sacrifice”, which he sang along to as he played the piano. According to Abbey, his father was an inspiration and describes this piece as a boy’s journey into manhood.
Another performer who had the audience in stitches was a stand-up performance by Ryan Hallam. Hallen performed relatable jokes about going to ICC and the student life, being single and dating and Netflix murder documentaries. Hallam left the audience wanting more.
This next performer, Kelsey Bush, had the audience in awe with her soulful voice. Bush sang a cover of “My Mind” by Yebba. Bush is a long-term friend of the MC Diarr who endorsed her vocal talents beforehand. Despite her nervousness, Bush captivated the audience who offered a grand round of applause following her performance.
Diarr was the closing performance and ended the show with R&B-inspired songs featuring rap. The songs he performed were “Drinkin, AA, Clueless, Heartbreaker, and H.D.” Diarr walked through the audience, giving everyone one last burst of excitement and energy, to bring it all to an exciting end.
“We hoped we inspired all who participated.”
Derrick “Diarr” Robinson
Student Life and Campus Housing hope to see all the performers and more at next year’s Open Mic Night.
Live footage of this event will be included in the Harbinger Weekly videocast set to premiere Friday.