On Friday, September 22, 2023, Marty’s was overtaken by students and parents for another live performance in SAC’s fall concert series, featuring singer and songwriter Lissie.
Lissie boasts over 700,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. She’s made a name for herself with her rock, country, and folk music but has also created pop music as well. While she hails from the Quad Cities, she bases out of Decorah. She got her big break through a series of connections like Lenny Kravitz, who she opened for on his Love Revolution Tour, and a multitude of songs she helped write. While she doesn’t believe she has a distinct style, her genre of music is considered country or pop-rock. She’s had a few big hits, like her third album “My Wild West” which received critical acclaim when it first released in 2016. Her latest album “Carving Canyons” came out in 2022, and she is currently on tour.
Lissie made sure to interact plenty with the crowd. She made conversation between songs and maintained her energy throughout the night. While some of her songs are notably slower, students didn’t seem to mind and parents in the audience thoroughly enjoyed them.
“It was a fun event!” Matt Franken, parent of Henry Franken (‘27) said. “The students seemed to be having a good time. We parents enjoyed a somewhat more subdued energy in the back of the room.”
While the concert was originally supposed to be held on the library lawn, inclement weather concerns moved the concert inside. Students were not deterred; the student section in the center of Marty’s took advantage of the space as many stood close to the stage and danced with their friends. Isaac Trowbridge (‘27) attended the concert and had nothing but good things to say about his experience.
“It was really high energy, lots of fun,” Trowbridge said. “It was a really cool concert, I really enjoyed the music genre and the style. I’ve been to all the [SAC concerts] and they’re all such different styles. All the artists are super talented, Lissie especially.”
SAC has hosted four concerts so far, but will soon turn to Luther student talents to take the stage. SAC will be hosting an Open Mic Night for any aspiring artists, in which two acts will win a trophy. Those interested can head over to Marty’s on Wednesday, October 4 from 8-10 p.m. More information about Lissie can be found on her website, lissie.com.
