Penn Relays concert projected to attract largest-ever audience

Method Man and Redman will join forces tomorrow at the Class of 1923 Ice Rink. Superstar hip-hop artists Method Man and Redman will be lighting up the Class of 1923 Ice Rink tomorrow night for the highly anticipated Penn Relays concert. Organizers are calling the event the biggest Relays concert ever, predicting that a large and diverse audience from both inside and outside of Penn will come together for the stylings of the dynamic rap artists. "We're actually looking at about a total of 1,600," College sophomore Shamika Lee said of ticket sales so far. "We're expecting another 1,000 or so walk-ins," the co-director of the Social Planning and Events Committee to Represent Undergraduate Minorities added. "I think the show's going to sell out definitely," said Wharton junior Michelle Von Vital, vice president of SPEC. Method Man -- who rose to fame as a member of Wu-Tang Clan -- and Redman released a joint album on Def Jam Records called BlackOut last September, which quickly went platinum. Both artists performed individually at Penn before their rise to stardom. "They loved the idea [of performing here]," Lee said, adding that the artists have received a warm reception at Penn before. "They really wanted to do the show." To accommodate the larger audience expected this year, the concert will be held at the Class of 1923 Ice Rink instead of its usual location in Irvine Auditorium. "We thought that the Ice Rink would be a prime location for a concert," Lee said. She explained that the venue allowed greater freedom to design the stage and means audience members can stand and dance. Although the majority of tickets have been sold to Penn students, students from other universities and Philadelphia residents have also bought a large chunk of them. "We've had people coming from as far as Maryland," said College sophomore Aaliyah Richmond, co-director of SPEC-TRUM. In addition to the headliners, four other hip hop acts will open the concert. Philadelphia rap trio Ram Squad will perform, as well as Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah. Also on the line-up are New York hip-hop artist Stone Rivers and the lone female performer Rah Diggah, who first got attention as a member of Busta Rhyme's Flipmode Squad. Other big names have performed at Penn Relays in the past, including the Fugees and Busta Rhymes, but none have attracted as large an audience as this year. Organizers cite their extensive promotion campaign as being responsible for the enthusiastic response. Tickets for the concert are being sold on Locust Walk and are also available through Ticketmaster and the Annenberg Center. Tickets are $18 for students and $25 for the general public. Doors open tomorrow at 7 p.m.

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