Lawn chairs and blankets speckled the grass as people packed the lagoon at Colorado State University in anticipation of hearing from one of Colorado’s premier songwriters.
The Wendy Woo Band took the stage at the Lagoon Concert Series Wednesday, marking the group’s third consecutive performance at the annual summer music showcase.
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Woo said she moved to Fort Collins five years ago, and was eager to reconnect with the local community.
“I really look forward to this show,” Woo said. “It’s a great event with great turnout, and (Mantooth Marketing) always (does) a great job promoting it.”
Woo is no stranger to the Colorado music scene, having been inducted into the Westword Music Hall of Fame after winning the Denver-based publication’s “Best Singer” award five times. Touring in support of her new album, “Tipping Point,” Woo said she was excited to be part of the local music scene.
“Fort Collins has a really unique music scene because there’s just so much of it and so much support for the artists,” Woo said. “I feel like I have a different style, like I don’t really fit in with the rest, so it’s nice to be included in the new, eclectic music scene.”
Woo played a mix of songs from her new album including “Today,” as well as covers of older hits, such as “Son of a Preacher Man,” as crowds listened from as far away as the intramural fields.
“We were playing lacrosse on the I.M. fields and we heard the music,” said John Hochevar, a junior mechanical engineering major. “It sounded good so we came over.”
The event’s sizable turnout surprised some in the community.
“It’s crazy how many people are here,” said Griff Birkens, a junior psychology major. “We could hear it from really far away.”
Woo was the latest performer in the annual free music showcase that is slated to run through August. Word of the show has started to spread among the community.
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“We heard about this show from our friends,” said Jennifer Holm, a senior communications major. “We’re super excited. It’s a great show.”
Woo’s tour with her band will take her as far east as New York, but she will be returning to Fort Collins later summer 2015 with performances at Bohemian Nights Aug. 16 and the Front Range Village Summer Concert Series Aug. 29.
Though she performed at the Lagoon for less than two hours, Woo struck a note with some concertgoers and left them excited for the next show in the Lagoon Summer Concert Series.
“We’re super pumped about this,” Holm said. “We’re going to try to come back every week.”
Collegian Reporter Sean Kennedy can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com and on Twitter @seanskenn.
