"Lets go Pens! Lets go Pens!"

Even though the Pittsburgh Penguins were playing at about the same time, this wasn't the Pens game. These shouts were heard at The Clarks show Wednesday night at Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave.

The Clarks are considered heroes in the Pittsburgh music scene, and they enjoy almost the same amount of popularity here in State College. The Clarks' newest release, Let It Go, and its no-frills bar rock have been winning over larger and larger audiences, gaining the group national recognition in the process. Wednesday night was a sort of homecoming for the band as it returned to State College for its third show in the past six months.

The evening began with Ki: Theory, a Washington, D.C.-based band, taking the stage to a half-filled venue. Ki: Theory's brand of slow groove-based hard rock did not seem to be what the crowd expected and was not a good pairing with The Clarks' much more lighthearted songs. More people arrived throughout, but Ki: Theory never connected with the crowd and left the stage after a brief 40-minute set.

It was all cheers when the foursome of The Clarks took the stage in front of a packed house, kicking the show off with "Think of England," from Let It Go. This was immediately followed by "Cigarette," an old Clarks standard, which caused waves of cigarettes to be thrown onto the stage.The crowd joined in by singing along with most of the songs, dancing and screaming. The Clarks seemed to feed off the energy of the crowd and filled their songs with the enthusiasm that has come to be expected of them.

The set featured highlights from older albums, such as "Caroline" and "Mercury," but mostly concentrated on material from Let It Go. The Clarks moved from song to song skillfully, chatting with the crowd and even sneaking in a verse of Steve Miller's "The Joker."

After playing a set of 19 songs, The Clarks left the stage, only to be brought back for an encore by the roar that erupted from the crowd. The five-song encore featured "Penny on the Floor," as well as covers of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" and "The Brady Bunch Theme." "Let's Get It On" featured crowd members on stage with the band.

"It was a great show," said Ryan Patsko (freshman-engineering). "I've seen them seven times, and they keep getting better."

After watching the show, it's easy to see why The Clarks have attained the popularity and following they have in this area. After more than 18 years spent playing together, the members of the group are experienced showmen. The band kept the crowd involved throughout the performance, alternating between high energy and more mellow songs, as well as old and new material.

And by the end of the nearly two hours of music, The Clarks had managed to send home a crowd of happy Pens' fans.