With the end of the year on the horizon, the Chordbusters concert came by to McManus Theatre to accompany it.
Chordbusters is an end-of-semester concert hosted by the Belles and the Chimes, Loyola’s female and male acappella groups, respectively. The Belles and Chimes worked tirelessly throughout to deliver their biannual concert to the Loyola community. Each semester, McManus Theatre is packed with audiences excited to witness the talent, creativity, and charm that is exuded when these two groups join forces. Chordbusters dates back to the mid-1980s and has cemented itself as an iconic and beloved Loyola tradition.
“Its longevity speaks to the love some people show for this event on campus. Each year hundreds of people attend to listen to some music and show their support,” Charlie Sayers ‘24 said, the president of the Loyola Chimes.
Regarding the significance of the placement at the end of the semester he said, “It is usually a time marked by the stress of finals and the end of classes. Chordbusters provides an opportunity to decompress and just enjoy some great music and great energy.”
Sayers has been a member of the Chimes since his freshman year at Loyola.
“The Chimes are my on-campus Family. I love all the guys and feel so lucky to be able to make awesome music with them,” he said.
The Belles kicked off the concert with an electrifying performance of “Greedy” by Ariana Grande. Other songs they performed included “Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene” by Hozier, Paramore’s “Ain’t it Fun,” and a medley of songs by the famous classic rock band Fleetwood Mac. The audience was stunned by their cover of 2023 favorite “Not Strong Enough” by indie girl group boygenius.
The Belles also took the time to dedicate a joint performance of Frank Ocean’s “Godspeed” and “We Find Love” by Daniel Caesar to their graduating Belle, Sophie Ernst. This emotional moment earned a standing ovation from the audience.
The Chimes followed the Belles on Friday, singing songs such as a combined performance of “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” and “Seven Nation Army,” a four-way fusion of Chic’s “Soup for One,” Modjo’s “Lady,” Stardust’s “Music Sounds Better with You” and Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger,” and a Choir-esque rendition of Billy Joel’s “And So it Goes.”
The show ended with both acapella groups joining together for a medley of various different romantic Christmas tunes.
“Awesome music” isn’t the only entertainment the show had to offer. Chordbusters opened with each of the groups doing a comedy skit of their own. The Belles’ comedy skit was “The Haunting of the Loyola Belles,” a video skit where the Belles are being interviewed about various strange occurrences that seem to be the work of ghosts. These ghosts ended up being last year’s senior Belles, and this revelation was met with laughter from the audience.
The Chimes’ comedy skit was a Charlie Brown spoof where two boys go on an adventure with a “Chime magician” and encounter the “Chimeguins of Madagascar,” a red-nosed reindeer and even Bruce Willis in order to discover the true meaning of Chordbusters…or Christmas, as the characters often got two mixed up.
Thus came this year’s Chordbusters, with the next one, of course, set for the end of the upcoming spring semester to draw in another crowd.
“Chordbusters is the main event in my eyes. We work so hard together all semester in order to prepare. Chordbusters allows us all to showcase our talents, but it is also a celebratory moment for all members of the Chimes and Belles. To me, it signifies that we made it through another semester and did so while creating some wonderful music,” Sayers said.
