Masego delivers saxophone solos and soul at the Agora

Joey Gonzalez Life Editor

Coming fresh off the release of his full-length album, Masego embarked on his nation-wide “You Never Visit Me Tour,” captivating crowds across the country. To be frank, I had only heard of him through TikTok but, despite liking his music, I never re ally sought anything more than those digestible snippets. Despite my lim ited knowledge of Masego, my friend convinced me to put my name in for the University Programming Board (UPB) raffle and just like that, we won.

The show took place at the Agora Theater and Ballroom on March 28, which was arguably the perfect venue for this type of concert. Ogi, a Nige rian singer and song writer, opened for Masego, bringing a refreshing energy to the stage that is rarely seen at concerts. Throughout her set, she kept the au dience engaged with her powerful songs and the compelling stories be hind them.

In connecting with the crowd, she even told a story about a friend in a toxic relationship who refused to leave the relationship. Ogi went on to reveal that they ended up getting engaged, to the shock of the audi ence, but a few moments later she clarified that they did in fact call it off. In addition to her personality, I loved her R&B music style with effortlessly smooth vocals. But it wasn’t just her musical talent that drew the audience in; Ogi re ally knew how to engage with the audience, proving to be the perfect opener for such a memorable artist.

With a warm-up like that, I knew I was in sweet potato. Popularized by the 2022 Fetty Wap cover, everyone in the audience was singing along with the very familiar lyrics. He ended his set with “King’s Rant” before leaving the stage, saxophone in hand. But the ing for an encore that Masego happily provided. His encore included hits like “Eternal Sunshine” and “Tadow,” much welcomed additions to the

On March 28, Masego and his famed saxophone ignited the Agora Theater with a soulful blend of R&B and jazz. Courtesy of Marissa McDowell/Cleveland Scene

COLIN JOST from page 1

Their outfit was a perfect depiction of their energy—a comfy black jumpsuit and hat that screamed laid back and fun. If the outfit wasn’t enough of a tell, they opened their set with the question “Who here smokes weed?” This was enough to capture the audience’s attention. They were able to keep them entertained by poking fun at students’ career prospects, telling humorous childhood stories and acknowledging the awkwardness of being different. Their set was made special by honest and easy-going storytelling about growing up and the mishaps that occurred when they came out to their family. While not all students may have been able to relate to their experiences, they were successful in drawing out smiles and making people laugh.

With the audience successfully warmed up by the SNL newcomers, Jost took the stage.

As a writer, actor and comedian, Jost is a stand-up veteran. He walked onto stage with a calm confidence and took on a chaotic and improvised performance style that starkly contrasted from Hernandez and Kearney. Without missing a beat, Jost dug into some not-sofun CWRU fun facts, mocking our “AI chatbot-generated name,” our “...great academics [that] come [with a] mediocre social life” and questioning our campus pride for a “notoriously committed D1 Ultimate Frisbee team.” Student’s re- sponded in an uproar of laughter, which seemed to only encourage Jost to keep going. He asked audience members to yell out their majors, proceeding to politely but cruelly make fun of each and every one of them—neuroscience majors were hit the hardest. At the half hour mark he seemed to be losing steam, creating uncomfortable silences between jokes. However, the audience took this as an opportunity to call out their burning questions and comments. Jost’s experience as a comic shone through as he swiftly incorporated otherwise awkward heckles from the audience into lighthearted jokes. One audience member even handed him an orange “Tippit Tea” hat, which he

Masego’s blend of soul, R&B and jazz struck a chord with the audience and made for such a memorable evening. His style countered before, and I really enjoyed hearing something simultaneously moving and

The saxophone solos were arguably my favorite part, and based on the crowd’s reaction every time he brought it out, I would say it was theirs too. This is all to say, if you have the chance to see Masego in concert, or even just stream graciously accepted to uproarious applause. Despite the awkward moments of his set, Jost ended strong with some out-of-pocket and morally questionable SNL sketches that didn’t make it to the live shows, along with new jokes he was “testing out.”

And, if you see a UPB raffle for an artist that you’ve never heard of, don’t be afraid you never know when you’ll discover your new favorite artist.

With that, this year’s Spring Comedian event drew to a close. Starring some serious SNL talent, the performances garnered endless applause and laughs. Even though Jost was the headliner of the event, we believe newbies Hernandez and Kearney definitely gave him a run for his money. Regardless, this event proved to be the perfect comedic relief, and we are eager to see which performer UPB can secure next.