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The Spectator
Buffers Singing a New Tune?
by Lily Gillespie '12Features Writer
There are few on this campus who would deny that the Buffers have a certain charm; perhaps it's the blazers, or the fact that they happen to be really talented, or maybe it's the fact that they don't mind being just a little bit raunchy. However, there have been times when some-- both from the campus community and the outside--have felt that the Buffers went just a little too far.
Many would consider their "Bountiful Harvest" concert, apart from the occasional abortion joke, to have been relatively tame in light of what happened on Family Weekend, when the Buffers' humor went greatly unappreciated by many.
The Spectator received multiple scathing letters to the editor following that performance, including one by Chelsea Mann '09, who stated in the opening line of her letter that "During Family Weekend, I witnessed what I considered to be one of the most misogynistic Buffers a capella concerts performed thus far."
Parents and former alums also showed great concern about the nature of the performance, so much so that the Buffers were forced to tone down the show for the following night's concert.
However, more recent concerts, including this past Saturday's invitational with two other groups from Union and Hobart, have shown that the Buffers can pull off a slightly raunchy, but very funny performance. So what, if anything, has changed since the Family Weekend incident?
Buffer Senior Aaron Richterman commented that little has changed and that "our comedy has been hit-or-miss in the sense that there are always people in the audience who enjoy it just as there are always those who hate it." The Buffers have traditionally offered a disclaimer at the beginning of their shows, acknowledging that the program may offend some. Although done humorously, it illustrates that the Buffers have faced some ramifications of the raunchiness in their concerts. The portion of Buffers concerts which is often the raciest is what they call the RAVE section, perhaps better known as the "If I were not a Buffer…" piece of the program. It was this particular element of the concert on Family Weekend that had people so up in arms.
Richterman also acknowledges that the Buffers were quick to realize they had gone too far, and sent a letter of apology to the Spectator. Part of the problem, according to Richterman, was that, "for one night we had too much edginess with too little comic value stuffed into a ten minute period, leaving many people (parents, especially) with a sour taste in their mouths." The nature of the audience may have also played a role in the Buffers' reception that night, for the presence of family members and alums may very well have heightened the discomfort with the Buffers' humor.
It is unfortunate that the Buffers were so poorly received on that one occasion, a performance Richterman labels an "aberration," for the majority of Buffers' concerts are actually very well-behaved and always well-performed. This weekend's concert was an example of this. They chose touching, popular, and classic songs, ending the evening with a truly phenomenal performance of "Fly Me to the Moon," whose choreography would have given Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra a run for their money. The point is, the Buffers' humor needs to be taken in stride, and if this is done, their concerts will be recognized not for their offensiveness, but for the talent displayed.