Best Opening Song
The Best I’ve Seen highlights the very best in a cappella, as seen in the admittedly biased and limited view of the author.
This time, we share the best opening song to an ICCA set.
Over the years, Ithacappella has developed into one of the east coast’s top a cappella acts, and a perennial threat in the ICCAs. They have had plenty of memorable performances in competition, but no better opening selection than their 2008 rendition of “Get Ready” by The Temptations.
“Get Ready” is just such a smart opener. It’s upbeat and fun. It’s lyrically applicable, warning the audience and competition that they should get ready, because the group is on its way and packing heat. Furthermore, it’s the kind of song that will appeal to a wide audience, and mostly likely leave the judges warm. It’s old enough to be familiar to the more aged onlookers, but fresh enough in folks’ memories from car commercials and whatnot that you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t know it—though they might not have thought of the song in years (better yet!).
In addition to being a good song selection, the guys executed the heck out of it. There was plenty of movement, with choreography that may have grown repetitive, but was nonetheless fun and engaging. The soloist was dynamic. The group was on. This isn’t the sort of song that really wows you with dynamics, or knocks your socks off with the complex arrangement, but it doesn’t have to be, and it’s the groups way of acknowledging that it will be accessible and draw everyone in from the start before moving on to more holistically impressive things. Great opener.