Pearson Jones, Asst. Style Editor

Not everyone has the nerve to pick up the mic on karaoke night. It only takes ridicule from one audience member channeling his inner Simon Cowell to leave pop idol dreams destroyed and two for one drink deals at karaoke bars often leave you alone to defend yourself against a crowd full of liquid courage. George Mason University’s first ever lip syncing contest, “Lip Syncing on the Bayou” created a solution for all these possible karaoke downfalls, however.

Last Wednesday, students from different George Mason University organizations competed in a lip synching competition. It was a battle of fan fave tributes where students didn’t have to worry about their voice cracking or messing up the lyrics.

The homecoming event welcomed a large group of students eager to support their favorite groups.

Fraternity and sorority chapters mainly dominated the
night’s lineup of performers, but a few groups including the Mason Crew Club, Hispanic Student Association, a group called Tika and a free style rapper named V also performed.

The show commenced with a tribute to Phil Collins by Kappa Sig mouthing the instantly recognizable “In the Air Tonight,” a song made even more popular recently by heavy weight Mike Tyson’s performance of it in The Hangover. The song was only lip-synched by one of the four performers but everyone on stage, including the audience members, had to join in on air drumming Collins’ famous drum bridge.

Undeniably, the highlight performance of the night came from Alpha Omega Pi, with their rendition of Michael Jackson’s “You Rock My World.” The dancers channeled Jackson flawlessly throughout the whole performance.

Fitted with Jackson’s signature fedora hats, the dancers slid and side pivoted across the stage with style. One of them even finished the performance off with a back flip off the stage.

While some people may have thought that being able to lip sync music doesn’t exactly require as much talent as karaoke does, their minds were surely changed by the all-out performances by Mason students.