What could have been a phenomenal Spring Week concert had many areas still lacking. Central Activities Network, organizers of the Wale and New Found Glory concert this past Saturday, picked two extremely appealing acts, but somehow the show just didn’t deliver. It was not sold out, the conduct of at least one of the performers during the show was reproachable and behavior of some students caused everyone to get a little riled up.
However, it should be pointed out that at least CCSU learned from the Metal Fest put on not so long ago; metal detectors were in place and security was on hand to put a stop to some potentially dangerous crowd surfing.
But despite the readiness and experience of those monitoring the concert, was it a success? The performers chosen, rapper Wale and pop punk NFG were a mix of new and old and at least many CCSU students have heard of or like both of them. But New Found Glory had maybe one or two hits back in 2002 and 2003. Were they really a good, relevant choice for Spring Week band? Wale at least brought something fresh to the table – he’s had a hit since 2008.
And where there could have been a pretty good potential for turnout, the students really didn’t come out in droves. Over half Kaiser Gym was full for the event, but Kaiser is no doubt a small gymnasium. Maybe the poor(er) attendance was due to a hike in ticket prices the day of the concert. Student tickets began at $12 – and maybe that was not enough to bring them out to the concert – but an $8 increase the day of to $20? Students can see many other acts for much less in the area, and the prospect of a dry, indoor and pricey event is not going to entice them to cough up the $20.
Other attractive events that weekend included UConn’s spring weekend – even without a musical performance, the idea of spending 48 hours partying in Storrs will probably top Wale and New Found Glory. Competing with UConn at Spring Weekend festivities is a game we will lose every time.
An example of good planning, and a successful event, was Homecoming 2009 when R&B artist Trey Songz came to Welte Auditorium. The show was well publicized, buzz was abound and it drew out a relatively behaved, albeit excited crowd. The auditorium was packed and people still talk about the show. Songz is a relevant artist, worthy of students’ attention.
Initially, it seemed as though headliners New Found Glory were a good choice, but in retrospect, a more effective name could have been brought to campus. Saturday’s band was old, possibly even disconnected from today’s 18-24-year-old population and the strongest respect we’d have for them is maybe getting a bit nostalgic about high school.
CCSU has the capability, and most likely a large enough budget to bring a larger name to campus, so why not? Planners could opt for a name reputable enough so that they even get respect from somewhat-fans or students who may not even like them at all. An act with a name that carries some weight would most likely sell out a show on status alone.
There are a couple of things that need to be accounted for come next Spring Week concert: find a good weekend for students without interferences, choose and bargain for at least a slightly relevant band (one that qualifies would have been talked about since 2005) and create the kind of atmosphere where it would not pain students to pay for the tickets or drive to campus on a Saturday.