Photo by Deb Gau Percussion instruments take center stage at Marshall Beats, but brass instruments and electric guitar all add to a medley of 1980s hit songs for this weekend’s show. Marshall High School students will be presenting their first full Beats concert in two years

MARSHALL — Marshall High School’s Beats percussion concert is always a high-energy show, but this year there’s extra anticipation building up.

The Beats 2022 concert, “Rewind To the 80s,” is one that’s been two years in the making.

“I think people are just excited this is back,” said Beats director Eric Novosad.

The 1980s-themed show was originally planned for spring 2020, but performances were canceled at the last minute by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was just heartbreaking,” Novosad said.

But with school concerts back to normal this year, there was a chance to try again, he said.

“I told the seniors this year, we will finish the ’80s show.”

Performances of “Rewind To the ’80s” will be Saturday and Sunday at the Schwan Community Center for the Performing Arts.

Students said this year’s show should appeal across generations of audience members.

“A lot of people are excited for the ’80s music,” said MHS senior Megan Wegner.

Novosad said one reason he started planning an 80s concert was because both parents and students would be familiar with the songs. The finale of the concert will feature a medley of hits from Phil Collins, Michael Jackson, Guns N’ Roses and more.

“We try to make it seamless, moving from song to song,” Novosad said.

Effects like audio clips of famous historical moments from the 1980s will help transition between segments of the concert.

Students said another part of the fun of Beats was the diversity of instruments in the concert. Besides traditional percussion instruments like drums and vibraphones, they use buckets, trash cans, pipes and more.

One song students rehearsed earlier this week, “Eye of the Tiger,” involved a rack of long PVC pipes. Students hit the open ends of the pipes with foam pads, senior Holly Netzley explained. The result is a sound like the rhythm guitar from the song’s opening.

Performing with effects like colorful stage lights and flying confetti adds to the whole experience, students said.

“It kind of gives us energy too, and adrenaline,” said senior Jaden Deines.

Show times for Beats are at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $10, and are available at the door. Novosad said ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery will be available during intermission, with a free-will donation to help purchase equipment like drum stands.

Novosad said Beats is a chance to put on an entertaining show, while providing an educational experience for students. MHS students will be performing a shortened matinee version of the show today for kids from about 30 area schools.

So far, community members have been anticipating the show. Novosad said he had gotten lots of questions about tickets in the leadup to this weekend.

“It’s got a huge buzz,” he said.