De La Soul headlines Fling show

It should come as no surprise that Penn, a school notorious for its Long Island population, will be featuring the Long Island hip-hop trio De La Soul as the Spring Fling headliner this year.

The group will be playing the Hill Field concert on the night of Friday, April 12 to help kick off fling festivities.

Social Planning and Events Committee Concerts Director Kirk Freeman said that he is optimistic about featuring De La Soul as the main act for this year's Fling festivities.

"We are very excited about De La Soul," Freeman, a College junior, said. "They were among our top choices... it's not like we settled on them by any means."

But despite his enthusiasm, Freeman said that SPEC did have some difficulties in landing a Fling headliner.

"It was a difficult year mostly because a lot of groups aren't touring that much, and a lot of the groups that are are really popular," he said. On tour "these days are Britney Spears and your high-production groups that are really expensive. That is not really what this school is looking for, or what it can afford."

Some students said they have not even heard of the trio, who kicked off their now 10-album career in 1989 with the release of Three Feet High and Rising.

"I don't think I have ever heard of De La Soul," Wharton sophomore Jackie Lange said. "Well, maybe I have heard of them, but I couldn't tell you what songs they sing."

College senior Chad Dixon said he feels that Fling bands have been disappointing over the past few years.

"I would like if they brought someone more mainstream, but I guess they don't have the money," Dixon said. "I think this is bull because every year they bring an outdated band that no one listens to."

Dixon said that De La Soul is a band that he listened to when he was much younger.

"De La Soul was cool when I was in middle school," he said. "I owned two of their albums, including Stakes is High when I was in middle school."

While De La Soul was out of the public eye for a while after their 1989 debut, they have been making a comeback in recent years. Last year, they released Bionix, the second album off their Art Official Intelligence trilogy, which began with their 2000 album Mosaic Thump.

Freeman said he believes that those still unfamiliar with De La Soul will quickly pick up on what All Music Guide describes as "low-key, clever rhymes and goofy humor."

"Most people have at least heard of them, but they may not know the name that goes with the hit," Freeman said. "We think that once the word gets around and people begin downloading them, people will get more excited."

Wharton junior Brett Topche said he is hopeful about De La Soul's energy level on stage.

"I figure they can't be worse than the Ben Harper show last year, because he totally didn't seem into the show and people were leaving early," Topche said. "I definitely hope that De La Soul has more energy than Ben Harper did."

And energy level, said Freeman, is one of De La Soul's fortes.

"We think they are very high energy and the last couple of years we have had more mellow shows, so they should be a nice change from that," he said. "The energy level will be a great thing and will fit into the party atmosphere of Fling."

It is this festive atmosphere that College sophomore Andrew Mullens said will draw him to the concert.

"The Hill concert is still the Hill concert," Mullens said. "It was a lot of fun."

Still, Mullens said he remains a bit disappointed about the choice of Fling headliner.

"I think SPEC has done a lot better in the past," Mullens said. "This is a big step down from last year. I am not a huge Ben Harper fan, but he is a bigger name, and it was a good concert."

Tickets for the show will be sold on Locust Walk and through Ticketmaster starting next week. Advance tickets cost $15 for Penn students and $20 for the general public. On the day of the show, prices will rise to $20 and $25, respectively.

Pepper's Ghost will also be playing at Fling on Friday, April 12, but Freeman said they will not be opening for De La Soul. He also added that SPEC will release the names of other bands later this week.

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