For the remainder of the set, lead vocalist Sam Fisher's purrs offered the only real distinctive element in the group's music.
The guitar and percussion were well-executed but conventional, while Fisher's unique, soulful, slightly gospel-influenced tones managed to partly veil their mediocrity.
But even when the band diverged from its personal brand of mediocrity, it only mimicked that of mainstream pop.
During a few songs, the band added a keyboard and slower tempo reminiscent of Lifehouse and Five for Fighting -- feeding the audience what the band thought it wanted to hear.
The crowd of older, on-the-verge-of-yuppiehood students welcomed the mellow mini-set, but Weekend Excursion's generic echo of formula pop constrained and wasted Fisher's distinct voice.
The Animal House frat-band style of the band's other material better displayed its real talent -- well-practiced, professional instrumentation, rather than original songwriting or progressive musical style.
The group's only other strength stemmed from the apparent intimacy among the men on stage and their distinct ability to relate to their Greek-life audience.
Many of their lyrics tapped into the vulnerability of college students -- connecting them directly with the majority of the swaying bodies in the crowd -- with lines such as, "You can talk about changes/I am moving on again," and "Don't you know I'd never let you fall/You've got to believe."
Audience members closed their eyes and mouthed these lines with emotion comparable to a smaller-scale Dave Matthews show.
They arrived at the Cradle with Weekend Excursion's performance preconceived in their imaginations, and the band deftly deciphered and delivered the crowd's expectations. This understanding between the audience and the performers made the show enjoyable -- if forgettable.
Weekend Excursion's second opening act, Carbon Leaf, made a more memorable impression, largely due to its incongruity with an audience primed for average college rock.
The band sounded like the Dropkick Murphys at the Grand Ole Opry, mandolin and maracas mixed with Irish pub punk.
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Audience attention ebbed even as the string bassist's hands did a Samurai Jack attack on his instrument.
Carbon Leaf should take some advice from Weekend Excursion -- find your audience.
An adoring audience can take you far, even if the music hasn't quite gotten there.
The Arts & Entertainment Editor can be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.
