Gripping the microphone, Grouplove guitarist Christian Zucconi’s lime green fingernail polish shone under the stage light. 

“You guys know what this tour’s about?” he asked the crowd. “It’s about being green.”

Hannah Hooper, band vocalist and keyboard player, stood next to him dressed in a full body skeleton suit and chimed in.

“This tour is about making a difference,” Hooper said. “Pick up some garbage. Smoke a joint. Make a compost pile.”

***

The indie pop band’s concert at Foellinger Auditorium on Friday night was part of the Campus Consciousness Tour. A non-profit group called REVERB organized the tour. This year, it was joined by an organization called the Rainforest Alliance, a group that aims to educate students on college campuses about environment sustainability and get them to take action by submitting a “green idea” to the tour for a chance to win $10,000.

Seven hours before the show, members of the band joined students in front of Foellinger to make a sustainability-themed mural in the “eco-village” tents the Rainforest Alliance set up.

“It’s been really cool to be part of a cause you really believe in, even before the tour started,” Zucconi said.

He said although lines in their music didn’t directly relate to sustainability, the theme of coming of age and self-discovery was prominent, and environmental change was a part that.

“I think people should learn about sustainability and go through their own process of questioning the things around them and what they can do to change the world,” Zucconi said. 

Bryce Dorn, junior in computer science and ad designer for Star Course — the concert-planning registered student organization that brought Grouplove to campus — said he was happy the band supported eco-friendly initiatives.

“I personally am glad that the tour is eco-friendly,” Dorn said. “There really aren’t too many organizations that do that with music and it’s cool that they care.”

Anna Clark, communications associate for Rainforest Alliance, stood at a table showing students products that were sustainably certified with a Rainforest Alliance frog seal. All certified products have set standards to improve the lives of farm workers, while conserving natural resources and wildlife. She said the organization used the frog as a symbol because it was an indicator of when something was wrong with an ecosystem; when an ecosystem starts to fail, frogs are one of the first species to die off.

“We’re trying to encourage students to become a part of the sustainability solution by demanding sustainable options on their campuses,” Clark said. “Students are often starting their morning off with a cup of coffee or tea, they may be printing their assignments on paper, and these products can come from sustainable sources.”

***

“This tour is about being a good person because good people do good things, and then we can all hang out together,” Hooper said.

“We are right now, there is some group love in this room,” Zucconi added.

Three encore songs later, the band linked arms and gave each other a group hug. When they walked off stage, the lights went up and the Beatles song “All You Need is Love” played through the loudspeakers. 

Claire can be reached at [email protected].