ETC: A must-see live experience that you will never forget

I couldn’t help but feel some skepticism recently as I traveled down I-75 in search of the Knights of Columbus Hall in Toledo, Ohio.
CM LIFE had received a recent tip about a supposed “CMU boy band” that was opening for Jaime Walters. The show was down south, and after a lengthy round of “Rock, Paper, Scissors” with the rest of the staff, I hopped in my car on my merry way to Ohio.
The only information I had about the band was that they were called ETC and that the buzz on the street about them was huge. I almost hoped that this was a joke so I could hop over to Industry and have a frosty beverage.
Fortunately for me, ETC is no joke. These boys are for real.
I met the guys waiting outside the hall about an hour before door time. It seems that no one inside the K of C believed that they were the opening act.
Despite the inconvenience, ETC was very laid back. I learned that the band recently received backing money for studio time from an anonymous benefactor, after word got out about ETC’s 4-song demo tape, “Go! Fire up, Chips!”
In any event, I eventually entered the hall and refreshed myself with a nice tall paper glass of orange drink. I was pretty peeved at the lack of chairs on the area in front of the stage, but if standing up would keep me awake. I was all about it.
I had no idea that the lack of chairs was probably the best preparation that could have been made for the night. The lights went out in the hall, and what happened next defied all characteristics of any K of C hall I’ve ever been in.
Strobe lights shot from every which direction and a thick smoke screen covered the stage. The lights dropped out, and 5 individual spotlights instantly highlighted the charged silhouettes of ETC. The moment was breathtaking.
The opening strains of “I Should’ve Dropped Chemistry” filtered through the hall, and the most amazing pyrotechnics went off, sending the jam-packed hall into a frenzy.
Every member of ETC got their moment to shine throughout the show, and many training bras were thrown to the stage during the course of the band’s 35 minute set.
Ethan was the driving force behind the band on this night, sending the crowd into a hormone-induced frenzy during the band’s first single, “Jump Space.”
Heartthrob Tyrone definitely had his moments, including serenading a young fan with a chorus of “You are My Sunshine” after she handed him a rose.
DJ Knice really got into the groove with a two minute freestyle about G.I. Joe. Knice’s interlude, while lyrically intense, seemed to leave the mostly younger female audience a little confused. Still, everyone gave him a loud ovation because his heart was in the right place.
Chazz got the show rockin’ with his tribute to vegetables, “I Don’t Eat Meat,” and Favre’s moment of glory came during his tear-inducing rendition of “Turquoise Girls.”
The pyrotechnics were incredible for the entire show, leaving me to wonder how the Knights of Columbus hall could afford such spectacular effects.
ETC’s choreography was equally as superb, with the band pulling off dance moves that would make Michael Jackson look like a marionette being handled by a drunken puppet handler.
ETC, however, didn’t stop there. Just as the crowd wound down and headed to the brownie table, the boys returned to the stage and performed a stirring a capella ballad about long, lonely nights surrounded by girls in black bar pants.
I was not envying Jaime Walters at this point of the night. He could have flown into the K of C hall on a jet pack with a real live Pikachu and not gotten the reception that ETC did.
So how did Jaime Walters cope with this situation? With a little help from his friends, of course. A shocked ETC was invited to join the former TV mainstay for an encore performance of his hit song, “How Do You Talk to an Angel?”
Afterwards, the members of ETC thanked Walters, letting him know that it had always been a dream of theirs to perform that song with him live.
I could actually read the emotion in the faces of Favre, Tyrone, Ethan, Chazz, and DJ Knice as they sang along with Walters, tears in their eyes. It was a beautiful moment, and hopefully, the start of a long road of success.