Lucky Boys Confusion excites fans at Otto’s

By DAVID MATZ

Around 11:20 p.m. on Saturday, chants of “LBC” filled the air.

A small, but hyped crowd, waited anxiously for the members of Lucky Boys Confusion to grace the stage at Otto’s Niteclub, 118 E. Lincoln Highway.

At 11:30, the crowd’s chants were answered as guitarist Adam Krier came out to a roaring applause as he held a guitar and harmonica. He attempted to play a song with the harmonica and guitar but quickly gave up as lead singer Kaustubh Pandav joined him on stage.

The two played the opening lines of “Mr. Wilmington” until the rest of the band filtered in and thunderously jumped in at the first chorus. Needless to say, it was a strong start to the night.

Drummer Ryan Fergus also kept the show going without missing a beat as he started “Hey Driver.”

The DuPage County-based band continued their fast-paced set throughout the night, as it kept fans jumping and wanting more. Even with crowd surfers frequently crashing the stage in the middle of songs, Lucky Boys Confusion stayed focused throughout the night.

“They always put on the best live shows,” said Trent Dorshorst, a senior finance major who said he has been a fan for years.

In the middle of the set, Pandav was rocking out so much, he cut his lip on the microphone and gave everyone a much needed break. But, as soon as he could continue, they started up with a relaxed reggae song and quickly continued with the set.

It’s easy to say that Lucky Boys did not disappoint fans as they even threw in a few surprises.

Guitarist Joe Sell did well in all of his solos, especially when he and Krier had a mid-concert contest of dueling guitars.

The best surprise of the night was when lead singer Genevieve Schatz, of the opening band Company of Thieves, came out and helped the band cover John Lennon’s “Instant Karma.” It was a pleasant and welcomed surprise, that got the whole crowd singing along.

Shortly after chants of “Encore” emitted from the audience, Sell came back out and invited two girls to come up and help sing “Waterfalls” by TLC.

Although by the end of the night Pandav sounded out-of-breath and tired, Lucky Boys Confusion put on a great show.