People filed into their seats at the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center on Saturday night as soft rock music played in the background.

Everyone chatted excitedly as they glanced at the instruments sitting on stage. The Orchestra would soon take the stage for a fun night of music and cheering.

Finally, after a short announcement to start the performance, the lights dimmed and the stars of the show casually stepped on stage. They picked up their instruments as the introduction to their first song began to start. Then the band members broke out into their hit song “Evil Woman.”

Purple lights streaked over the crowd, highlighting bobbing heads and clapping hands as the audience sang along. Guitarist Parthenon Huxley and bassist Glen Burtnik both smiled at each other and laughed during their first number of the night. They were clearly happy to be performing another night as The Orchestra.

Former members of the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and ELO Part II founded The Orchestra, even though both bands had ended their careers years ago. The Orchestra has kept the sound and spirit of both bands alive through their wonderful live performances.

The group lived up to its reputation for fantastic stage presence, as the night continued. Lights were heavily utilized to let the audience almost visualize the music being played. They grazed over the crowd, shining hues of purple, green, white and blue over the audience.

Spotlights also highlighted the individual performers as they played solos and sang to their fans.

It only took a few songs to realize how much they sounded like the original Electric Light Orchestra and ELO Part II. Their vocals for “Strange Magic” and impeccable harmony on “Telephone Line” surreally took onlookers back to the days when ELO and ELO Part II were in their prime.

Huxley showed his talent not just for playing electric guitar but also for acoustic guitar. He got his own spotlight as he strummed away for one song giving a contrasting, yet appealing sound to the piece. Burtnik similarly jammed away on his colorfully painted bass, smiling and showing that age never restricts one’s ability to rock and roll.

Keyboardists Eric Troyer and Lou Clark also shone on their instruments. Orchestral compositions combined with electronic music was what gave the original ELO and ELO Part II their unique sound, which both Troyer and Clark brought to center stage for the evening. Gordon Townsend, the powerful drummer of the group, kept the energy alive with his intense performance.

Mik Kaminski, the violinist, was a true spectacle to behold. He played away on his bright blue electric violin, managing both long, drawn out notes and fast passages with ease.

It was clear that he was the audience’s favorite. Random fans shouted out phrases such as, “I love you, Mik!” throughout the evening, making both the performers and audience laugh.

The band members made the audience laugh as well.

“We’d like to play some disco music,” Burtnik said at one point. “Feel free to ‘disco’ in your seats.”

The crowd laughed at the line and after their song finished, Burtnik announced Shippensburg to be “the disco capital of the world.”

The Orchestra captivated the audience for the entire night. People could be seen singing in their seats and clapping along to their favorite songs. Some fans got up on their feet during “Turn to Stone” and danced away. Burtnik walked down into the crowd to play his bass right in front of them, making everyone cheer.

Finally, when The Orchestra members announced that they would be playing their final song, Burtnik again ran into the crowd, urging everyone to get on their feet as the song began. Clapping started up as fans rose to their feet and started dancing and singing along to, “Do Ya.”

It was a great way to end the evening, but as The Orchestra waved goodbye, the audience remained standing and cheering. Any fan of ELO and ELO Part II knew that they had left one song out in particular, and that the night could not simply end without it.

Sure enough, all of the members walked back on stage, smiling and laughing. They knew they could not fool the audience.

“Have we had a good time?” Huxley asked as the crowd cheered away.

“Are you ready to sing?” he asked again to a thunderous applause answered him.

Townsend then started up on his drums as they began to play “Don’t Bring Me Down.”

Everyone cheered and clapped when their pleas were answered. The theater erupted in sound as every fan sang along and danced to the hit song. Huxley stopped his playing to sing along with everyone. Soon, all of the members had stopped playing, letting only the members’ and audiences’ voices sing the song.

As the song came to a close, the audience gave one last cheer for The Orchestra as their way of thanking them for a fantastic performance.

Fans could be heard raving about the show as soon as it had ended. One Shippensburg alumnus who owned every single ELO album particularly enjoyed the show.

“It’s the best concert I’ve ever been to,” he said, “These guys are all about the music.”

The Orchestra proved Saturday night that even after years of playing music, talent and a love for performing could never be stripped away.

Fans would surely have found themselves singing the songs on their way home and would definitely remember the night for a long time.

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