Kevin Olusula ’06 performs alongside Goose&Moose.
Amina Gorman ’26 sings alongside Ethan Liu ’26’s saxophone performance
The crowd doubled in height as people climbed onto couches and rode on each other’s shoulders this Saturday at the student band Goose&Moose’s annual Den Show. Vibes were at an all-time high as students cheered on features such as 6PM, Notes from Graceland, and even Kevin Olusola ’06.
In the middle of the show, Olusola stepped onto the stage and was greeted with raucous cheers. A member of the world-renowned a cappella group Pentatonix, Olusala performed with Goose&Moose, showcasing his beatboxing skills. Gemmi Haripottawekul ’28, an audience member, shared her reaction to watching Olusala perform.
“I went to the Den Show not knowing he was coming, but maybe ten minutes before he came on, I was about to leave. But then, my friend texted me, saying Kevin’s coming soon. I was like, whoah, what? And so I stayed around, and it was definitely a really good choice because [the performance] was amazing. There was one part where he was beatboxing, and Cameron [Butler ’28] was on the drums, and they were going back and forth. I was so hyped. I was standing on the couches and jumping up and down,” said Haripottawekul
From 9:00 p.m. until a few minutes before final sign-in for boarding students, the Den Show kept students singing along. For Haripottawekul, this show was a first and opened up a whole new side of campus life.
“One of my biggest regrets so far as a new Lower is not going out to more of these shows in the past two terms. I went to Knollchella. I was so hyped, and then I came to [the Den Show], which was a completely different level of hype. Everyone was on their feet. I was dancing. This was the first time I was screaming my lungs out. It was so fun. Just the vibes of everyone being there, no one was scared or embarrassed to sing their hearts out, and I feel like that’s what makes it so amazing and so memorable. I don’t think words can be put together to justify how fun and amazing the atmosphere was,” said Haripottawekul.
From guest features to show openers, the concert featured a variety of performers besides Goose&Moose, all bringing their own talent and enthusiasm on stage. Jonathan Oh ’27, the bassist for Goose&Moose and 6PM, described the process of choosing a setlist.
“We first compiled a list of all of the songs that we liked and were interested in playing during Winter Term, and then started the cutting process. We narrowed it down to around 30 [songs], made a playlist, and continued to cut and add songs up until the very end. We always have features for our show, so depending on the songs our features wanted to sing, we compromised and added different songs from different genres,” said Oh.
Over the years, the Den Show has become a key part of Andover’s band culture and student life, with more students attending each year. Harry Wang ’27, the tenor saxophonist for Goose&Moose elaborated on how the Den Show has grown across his time at Andover.
“We are having more and more features join our performance, also branching off to having other bands join our show. For this year specifically, we are lucky to have a Grammy-awarded alumni, Kevin Olusola, to join us for the show. We want to keep expanding our group and continue the band culture on campus,” said Wang.
