SPEC doesn't fear concert competition

The Spring Fling committee is preparing for a decidedly different set of events this weekend.

Unlike in previous years, the venue, Wynn Commons, is smaller and at the heart of campus. Ticket distribution is limited to on-campus sales, and Sonic Youth -- the headlining band -- appeals more to the late-20s crowd than to undergraduates in their late teens.

Even so, the Social Planning and Events Committee is confident that this year's concert will be as successful as those in years past.

Although SPEC officials refused to estimate the number of tickets already sold, they said that the lineup is attracting interest on campus.

"Sales are right on par with our expectations and right on par with previous years," College senior and SPEC Concerts co-Director Tom Kurland said, noting that sales tend to peak during the day of the concert.

However, several groups with broader appeal to the younger audience are performing in the area at the same time as the Fling concert.

Something Corporate -- a West Coast punk rock band -- is playing at St. Joseph's University. The alternative-rock band Jimmy Eat World will be performing with Taking Back Sunday across the river in Camden in the evening, while the Electric Factory will be hosting Moby.

But it is not unusual to find several well-known performers in Philadelphia on any spring weekend, and SPEC officials said that they don't expect many people to leave campus for other concerts.

"Freshmen might go to those ... but Spring Fling -- it's an event that happens at Penn that's special and unique," said College senior Ashley Wolff, a co-director of SPEC Concerts. "To leave campus is really foolish, and I don't think most people will do it."

Kurland agreed, adding that people usually decide to attend the Spring Fling concert because it is a fun event on campus.

"Philadelphia is an enormous city. ... We are not trying to compete" with other venues, Kurland said. "We are [just] trying to bring a good event for Spring Fling, for Penn students [on] Penn's campus."

This year, due to the smaller capacity of the venue -- Wynn Commons holds 2,500 people -- SPEC decided not to sell tickets through Ticketmaster and focus solely on the campus community. Last year's concert was held at Franklin Field, and previous years on Hill Field.

Kurland noted that on-campus ticket sales are slightly up from previous years'. Even so, it is unclear how enthusiastic the undergraduate community is about the lineup.

"My ... TAs are psyched about Sonic Youth playing," College freshman Joe Gross said. "But there is a disconnect [for the undergraduates]. ... It doesn't seem like the fun, party atmosphere -- that Spring Fling vibe -- that they are going for."

A more local music alternative might be present as well. Two local bands will play Friday night at a Locust Street block party spoofingly called 'Sonic Who?'

"We wanted to do something for people that weren't necessarily interested in Sonic Youth," Wharton senior Joey Kronsberg said, adding that he had never heard of the band.

However, even with these alternatives, SPEC is still confident that by the time of the concert, the venue will be filled to capacity.

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