SAB hosts annual Pirates Got Talent competition

Motivated by a passion for music, dance and more, 12 contestants graced East Carolina University’s Hendrix Theatre Tuesday night for the chance to earn one title; winner of Pirates Got Talent 2019.

Held by ECU’s Student Activities Board, the show opened with a performance from Corey Ballance, who won last year’s Pirates Got Talent and also served on this year’s judging panel. Accompanied by pianist Jeremy White, who won the inaugural Pirates Got Talent competition, Ballance sang a mashup of various songs such as SWV’s “Weak” and Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles.”

“Making that transition from the stage to the judging panel made me feel so old,” Ballance said. “But it’s about time to pass down the touch.”

Joining Ballance on the judging panel was Darrius Barrow, the assistant director of ECU Student Activities and Organizations and Dena Ola, a university program specialist at ECU. Setting the tone for talent was Barrow, who made it known to the audience that he was seeking an act who would “secure the bag.”

“Darrius was by far my favorite judge to hear from at PGT (Pirates Got Talent) because his critiques were firm but constructive,” Kendall Wiley, a sophomore public health major, said. “He was also very funny and entertaining.”

Taking the stage as the first contestant was Drastic Measures, a new A capella group on campus. The group sang a cover of Galant’s “Weight in Gold,” with members Quinton Taylor and Justin Yellets leading with vocals and beatboxing.

Freshman music education major Lindy Smith said Drastic Measures gave her a “feel-good” performance that differed from a cappella groups she had heard in years’ past.

“Since the whole ‘Pitch Perfect’ craze, I’ve fallen in love with A capella music,” Smith said. “I can’t believe I haven’t heard of them since tonight (Tuesday). They’re going to be well known around campus soon enough.”

For contestants such as Kyle Whidbee and Eli Gibbs, their performances were used as a platform to advocate for mental health. With originally-produced songs such as “Dopamine” and “Million Dollar Man,” Whidbee touched on coping with anxiety and troubled family dynamics.

At the end of his performance, Whidbee pleaded with audience members who may be struggling with mental health issues to reach out to campus resources for help.

“I just want to say, if you’re dealing with something mentally, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help if you need it,” Whidbee said to the audience after performing. “I went to the Counseling Center and had a beautiful experience. Don’t let what you’re dealing with stop you from chasing your dreams.”

One of the standout moments of the night came from contestant Allison Brooks, a freshman exercise physiology major who sang a cover of Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You.” Throughout her performance, several audience members yelled words of encouragement and sang along with Brooks.

Brooks was also one of the contestants who earned mostly positive critiques from the judges, the most notable coming from Ballance, who harmonized the chorus of “If I Ain’t Got You” with Brooks in an impromptu duet.

“All I can say to you, Allison, is that I’m so glad you weren’t here last year,” Ballance said. “Because if you were, you would be sitting right here in my judging seat.”

Closing out the show was rock band Fortune, who performed a cover of Foo Fighters’ 1997 hit song “Everlong.” In his judging critique, Barrow commended the group on their energy, but noted that he could barely hear their vocals over their instruments.

“Oh, really?” Fortune vocalist and guitarist Charles Crumpler said in response to Barrow. “Would you like to hear us, then?”

With a simple head nod as a cue to his bandmates, Fortune began to play a cover of “Sober” by Tool, earning a standing ovation from several audience members as they closed out their impromptu encore performance.

At the end of the show, the audience was given the chance to vote for their favorite contestant to win the competition through a texting poll. After the results were collected, the contestants made their way to the stage and host Nana Owusu announced Brooks as the winner, earning the young singer a standing ovation from the crowd and the judges.

For her winning prize, Brooks will be the opening act during Barefoot on the Mall, the long-running ECU tradition which marks the end of the academic year. Barefoot on the Mall will take place April 23.

“It’s so exciting and the atmosphere of this whole experience was so crazy,” Brooks said. “I still remember coming in the night of auditions and being so nervous, but overall, I had so much fun and I would encourage others who may want to try out in the future to just give it a shot.”