After last year's craze over Spring Fling performer Ben Folds, Penn has decided to bring yet another Ben to campus.
Ben Kweller is scheduled to headline the Social Planning and Events Committee's fall concert, officials announced today.
Kweller will perform on Oct. 5 at Irvine Auditorium. The American musician is most famous for his acoustic rock songs like "Sha Sha" and "Wasted & Ready."
College senior and SPEC Concerts co-director Amanda Santana said that Kweller may not be as well-known as previous Fling performers Third Eye Blind or OAR, but that she is still expecting tickets to sell out.
Accompanied by a two-member band, Kweller will perform after singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, the show's opening act.
Michaelson, whose music has been featured on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, was to perform last year as a daytime act during Spring Fling, but "details did not work out," College sophomore and SPEC Concerts co-director Preston Hershorn said.
"She's been pretty high profile - we wanted to get her to campus" Hershorn said. "She goes well with Ben but also provides a good contrast."
SPEC would not comment on the price of the two performers or the budget for the concert.
The Committee used a number of tactics to determine this year's pick.
In addition to surveying students last spring, it also solicited names of desired artists from the student community and even used Facebook profiles to determine popular musical artists.
"He's big on the college scene," Hershorn said of Kweller. "Everyone who knows him really, really likes him."
"I mean, he's not played on Top 40 radio," Santana said, "but he has a following on campus, and he puts on a really great show."
The first 200 tickets, priced at $10, will go on sale on Sept. 15 at No Place Like Penn.
The remaining 900 will be sold on Locust Walk for $15 starting Sept. 17. If available, tickets can also be purchased at the door of the concert for $20.
All ticket purchases require a Penn ID.
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