The End of NARD

I've written about NARD before, but in case you don't remember, they're a comedy/ a capella group on campus. There are only four members, Nick, Alex, Rob and Dave, and they are all graduating this year. Tonight was their final performance. I've seen them several times this year, and they've always been entertaining, funny, and in tune, but tonight was especially good. It was a big crowd, and you could tell the people hadn't just wandered over to the Green and sat down, they clearly wouldn't have missed the show for anything. The show started forty minutes late, and it started to rain, although that didn't last too long. People stayed though. Not everyone, I had gone with CWB, but she left before the show started. It was ok, though it sort of reinforced my belief that I'm All Alone. I was under the impression that when you love someone, and they love something and want to share it with you, you tolerate it. Whenever I play someone a song on my iPod, I love the person a little extra if they listen to the entire song. I love NARD, I'll tell anyone as much, but no one felt like joining me, and that's ok. Nick said it all when at the end of the show he told the audience how much it meant to him that we were all there, and that we were happy to be there. I wouldn't have wanted to drag people along if they were going to leave midway, or stay and be bored, or make me feel apologetic for loving the show and wanting to stay until the end. It was too good for that, and I wasn't alone, the entire audience was brought together by our mutual appreciation for these four boys.
I used to wonder which member of NARD was my favorite, like with the Beatles. It was always close, but Rob (tenor II) secured his spot tonight. (I think he's probably the Ringo of the group. Alex is Paul, Nick is John, Dave is George. They fit the roles surprisingly neatly, I didn't even have to give it much thought.) Their families had all come, and they were heading into their last number, and Rob got all choked up as he told his groupmates how much they mean to him, and how amazing it's been performing together these past four years. He started to cry, which set my second favorite, Dave (bass) off, and the four of them struggled to get through Billy Joel's "Lullabye", but they held it together enough for it to sound really beautiful, and be really moving.
I bought their cd after the show, even though it was $10 that I don't really have. I don't know the guys from NARD personally, but I'm really going to miss them. I went to their Christmas show back when I was just getting to know Dana, and Goose and I went to see them on our only real date. I've been thinking a lot about this year, and when I remember the good times I have to give NARD their due. Their shows were bright spots. I feel lucky that I got to see them as much as I did, and I think $10 is a real bargain for having their cd, and being able to listen to it whenever I want to remember what a great group they were, and how much they meant to my freshman year.