Amid the gorgeous breeze last Saturday night, the Horn Gallery was transformed into a creative haven for alumni and students alike. 

The Horn welcomed alumni bands Missing (Zoë Casdin ’23 and Zoë Knable) and Lucky Gold Jr. (Ellie Fallon ’24, her sibling Mimi Fallon, Jonah Meisels ’24, and Ollie Peterson ’26). As Missing began its opening set, dozens of devout Horn-goers packed into the space to hear the bands perform. Missing did not disappoint. The captivating sounds that filled the Horn provided the perfect beginning for the night. Throughout the set, the crowd became increasingly engaged, gazing intently at the band and fully giving way to the low-vibrational reverberating notes. The show was a perfect blend of remarks made in between songs like “I wrote this song when I was 19 in my childhood bedroom closet,” and introspective, grounded and original melodies that had the audience swaying. 

The transition to Lucky Gold Jr. was what truly made the night. With the opening chord, songwriter and lead singer Ellie Fallon transformed the audience as attendees began screaming ecstatically from the front row. In a message to the Collegian, audience member and friend of the band Katie Taylor ’26 expressed her admiration for the bands, writing, “I think it was really special because personally I think both acts make great music!” Taylor was among the large group of juniors and seniors who felt extremely connected to the bands. “I think for the juniors and seniors who overlapped with Zoë, Ellie and Jonah while they were at Kenyon, it was nice to see old friends/alums again,” Taylor wrote. 

This connection between the performers and the audience was evident as Lucky Gold Jr. performed, interacting with the audience, smiling and dancing. “The Horn was a gravitational force in so many of my friendships,” Ellie Fallon explained in a message to the Collegian. “I feel so held up in that space, hearing people singing along made it feel like such a soft place to land.” Ellie Fallon acknowledged the close ties she has with many present that night, writing, “The class of ’26 is a special one to me, and it was sweet to see them all together at the Horn one last time.” 

Energy within the Horn during the Lucky Gold Jr. set was electric. There was hip-shaking, hand-waving, friend-leaning and — for the first time in my experience at the Horn — literal crowd-surfing from members of the audience at the front. There was interpretive dancing and head-banging. It’s safe to say that students and band members were thrilled to be sharing the space once again. 

At the end of the night, a chorus of “Encore, encore!” rang out from the crowd, urging Lucky Gold Jr. to keep the songs coming. Laughing along, the band broke into its last song of the night. Though the night felt truly endless, the music eventually died down, and people began to file out of the Horn. What to expect from Lucky Gold Jr. in the near future? “A little East Coast DIY tour this summer!”  Ellie Fallon said at the end of her message to the Collegian. “Legendary bathroom graffiti aside, what matters most is that [the Horn] always listens back when you have something to say.”