On Oct. 27, the crowd in Dana Auditorium received a kick in the face from the swing-jazz revival band the Squirrel Nut Zippers.

“I can’t wait to see this band!” said Kathy Andrews, a 24-year old UNCG graduate. “I saw them in 2000 and they were phenomenal. I’ll be surprised if they disappoint.”

Andrews’ predictions were accurate. At 9:13 p.m. the eight members of the Squirrel Nut Zippers shuffled onto the stage of Dana Auditorium and were met by a roar of clapping and cheering from the audience.

Katharine Whalen, the group’s only female, dressed in a lavish, multi-colored, 1920s-style gown that she frequently swung with her hands to tease the audience. Next to her stood the guitarist, “Jimbo” Mathus, who sported a cowboy hat and a long yellow cord connecting his guitar to his amplifier. The rest of the band wore fancy suits, ready to perform their swing-jazz classics.

The band started off with fast-paced songs like “Good Enough for Granddad,” which consisted of elaborate drum fills, intricate violin and horns, and twangy vocals from the singer, Jimbo. The audience began to nod their heads and tap their chests but remained glued to their chairs.

While the Squirrel Nut Zippers play a style of old swing music, the age group in the audience was stunning. Besides a handful of Guilford and UNCG students, the crowd seemed to all be over 40. This contributed to the stiff audience throughout the show.

“I thought the band was really professional and put on a really good show,” said senior Joe Gillette. “But the show was hampered by the lack of enthusiasm in the audience.”

With the exception of a couple in their mid-20’s dancing in the balcony, the crowd remained seated throughout the entire show. Even a “How’s everybody doin’ tonight?” gesture from Jimbo was responded to with a whimper.

However, the band consistently wowed the audience with their secret weapon: the horn section. During songs like “Prince Nez,” instruments such as the banjo and clarinet were shoved into the background due to near-deafening trumpets and saxophones that sounded like sirens.

The pinnacle of the Squirrel Nut Zippers’ set was their surprising transition from an ambient song to “Hell,” their notorious and fan-favorite anthem. The crowd erupted immediately as the stage lights turned blood red and the slick keyboards kicked in.

Featuring bells, violin, horns, and thunderous drums, “Hell” revived the audience’s energy, even though they were still seated. For the first time, the crowd stomped their feet and yelled back the lyrics to the band excitedly.

The crowd followed up with this enthusiasm as Dana Auditorium shook with pleas of “ZIPPERS!” for the band to come back onstage for an encore. When the band reappeared, they performed an acoustic number entitled “You, You, You.” The audience swayed back and forth in their seats, showing their satisfaction with finger snaps.

The Squirrel Nut Zippers may not have roused the crowd with dancing and singing as much as they had hoped, but they supplied enough energy to make sure that even a seated audience was still rocking out.