On Thursday night, Long Island music group NGHBRS and local band Lila Ignite played to a crowd of excited students and fans in the Mandela Room.

The benefit concert, which raised money for the American Diabetes Association, was co-hosted by Theta Chi, Kappa Sigma and Deeds for Diabetes, a club that helps raise funds and awareness about the disease. Started just over a year ago, Deeds for Diabetes was eager to spread the word about its cause.

“This benefit concert is the biggest event that we’ve been able to hold so far,” said Zachary Douglas, a junior majoring in biology and the president of Deeds for Diabetes.

Andrew Palmer, a member of Theta Chi’s philanthropy committee and Deeds for Diabetes, helped organize the event in the hopes that it would bring all members of Binghamton University’s campus together for a good cause.

“In attracting the Greek population, existing fans of each act, and the musical community, we feel that we were able to maximize attendance, awareness, and funds raised,” Palmer, a junior majoring in economics, wrote in an email.

Opening the show was Lila Ignite, the winner of Theta Chi’s Battle of the Bands. A local group from Binghamton that formed in 2011, Lila’s bassist Dan Congdon jokingly described their music as “Pantera meets T-Pain,” but students were treated to an energetic pop-punk show that included stage diving, a mosh pit and a sing-along. Lead singer Tyler Reed even joked about the band’s “townie” status, saying, “Here we are, monsters.” Lila Ignite, however, was enthusiastic about bringing the community and BU together.

“I think it’s cool when bands from the area play BU,” Reed said. “There’s this music crowd and there’s our music crowd and it just kind of helps build more community.”

Palmer also thought it was important to have a local band in the mix.

“We felt that getting Lila on board was a step in the right direction; they really helped promote out in the community,” Palmer wrote. “Being the same age as most Binghamton students, I think they can really dispel any ridiculous “townie stigma” that some students may have.”

From start to finish, Lila Ignite showed that talent in Binghamton stretches far beyond campus.

Formed in 2010, NGHBRS was the show’s headliner. It was the first group of artists that came to mind for the concert, after Palmer watched them grow from local Long Island fame to a band with national appeal. With the recent success of their debut full-length album, NGHBRS has performed at big festivals such as CMJ and South by Southwest, and will even be opening for Taking Back Sunday this summer. After selling out the Brooklyn Bowl this past fall, the band was excited to be back at BU.

“It’s more intimate,” said Eric Vivelo, who plays bass in NGHBRS. “It feels good.”

Described by Vivelo as “aggressive rock,” NGHBRS started its set with lead singer and keyboardist Ian Kenny singing into a megaphone, while students cheered and danced along with the music. Referring to a show they played in the Undergrounds, Kenny joked, “The worst show we ever played as a band was in this building.” Students, however, got anything but a bad show, as NGHBRS played songs off their debut album, as well as some newer ones set to be released this summer.

For Palmer, helping to bring NGHBRS to campus was not only a fun experience, but also encouraging.

“Honestly, I find them inspiring,” wrote Palmer. “We felt that NGHBRS’ DIY success really resonated with Theta Chi, Deeds for Diabetes, and Kappa Sigma, all being recently-founded organizations.”

During its set, NGHBRS even gave the crowd an impromptu hooping performance featuring three members of Binghamton’s Hoop Troop.

“It didn’t feel like it was just some band that Greek Life brought out, it felt like an actual performance by someone I would totally pay more to see,” said Ricki Zimmerman, a sophomore majoring in English and one of the hoopers at the show. “I thought that the groups involved in making this happen did a really good job putting the show together.”