Whalen performed with the Ramblers at the Dawn.

Anna Broussard | Collegian

A standing crowd of more than 250 people packed into the Dawn Theater for senior Greg Whalen’s concert, “An American Story,” Feb. 28.

“It’s cool doing it in my hometown, because it’s tons of people I know,” Whalen said. “Between the students, some of the community vets, and my family it was tons of fun singing for them.” 

Whalen performed 19 original songs, many about his experiences in the Marine Corps, accompanied by the Ramblers, a group of local musicians. 

“One of the things that we love is highlighting musicians who not only live in the Hillsdale community but grew up here,” Nathan Lehman ’18, a volunteer with the Friends of the Dawn Theater said. “It’s always awesome to have people who you know are transplants in Hillsdale, but it’s another thing entirely when it’s someone who has been part of the community.”

Nearly 100 people bought tickets in advance of the event and another 150 bought them at the door, according to Lehman.

“We are delighted to have Greg here and playing in the historic Dawn Theater,” Lehman said. “The Friends of the Dawn exists to support local community events like this.” 

Many of Whalen’s song lyrics described his deployment, the difficult homecoming many veterans face, and the deadly military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which Whalen saw firsthand as a Marine at the Kabul International Airport

“I really appreciate what he’s doing with his music, and how he’s not sugar coating it at all,” junior Lulu Celecia said. “It’s raw and honest, and he is being real with the audience.”

The concert took place during parents weekend at the college. 

“Especially with all the parents who came here tonight not knowing what they were getting into, there’s not a dry eye in the house anymore,” Celecia said.  

Aidan Sullivan, a volunteer with The Friends of the Dawn Theater, said Whalen’s performance helped unite the community. 

“Events like this really draw the community together, because there’s so many people who are connected to Greg,” Sullivan said. “All those tentacles reach out and spread the word, which is super cool.” 

Whalen said the performance was a great experience, and he intends on doing more events like it in the future. 

“I’m just happy with how it went,” Whalen said. “There are little things, obviously, to work on like the band could spend more time playing together. All those guys are truly incredible. They just picked it all up, and all of this music was totally new and my own. So I am super grateful to them.”