Gavin DeGraw shines in concert

Post-pubescent Trick-or-Treaters in ghoulish costumes may have caused a slight stir in the Fan this weekend. But it was piano man Gavin DeGraw, simply dressed in a plaid shirt, ashy-gray pants and an army-green cap, who got the spine-tingling screams Halloween Eve.

Never mind that they came mostly from the overglossed lips of not-quite-legal teenyboppers, the singer-songwriter rocked the Stuart C. Siegel Center with a piano-pounding, soul-infused, hour-long set from his platinum-selling album, “Chariot.”

He was in town Sunday for VCU’s “Rams for Relief” benefit concert, which raised $1,656 to help victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The money will be donated to the American Red Cross.

One highlight in the concert came when DeGraw treated the audience to an acoustic guitar version of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On.” Saving the best for last, he belted out his two biggest hits: “I Don’t Want To Be” and “Chariot.”

Rock group Pepper’s Ghost opened the show with their signature sound reminiscent of ’60s rock that brought the young crowd to its feet.

The Philadelphia-based band, composed of brothers Anthony and Michael Montesano, Rob Bennett, David Hartley and a drummer known only as Zil, played songs from their latest album, “Shake the Hand that Shook the World.”

Hot off the heels of his MTV Hard Rock Live concert, DeGraw’s star is on the rise. But it wasn’t enough to fill the seats Sunday night. Around 400 people turned out for Sunday’s concert held at the 7,500-seat Alltel Pavilion, barely filling the floor-level seats.

With DeGraw’s powerful voice and charismatic onstage presence, the concert felt more like an intimate listing party among friends.

A long wait could turn any die-hard fan into an expletive-spewing sourpuss. It says a lot about the country boy from New York that his fans patiently waited for nearly an hour between sets and still greeted him with a warm welcome when he finally appeared on stage. But with pipes like his, DeGraw was well worth the wait.