Christina Domenico | Creating a coherent concert

Spring Fling concert tickets went on sale yesterday - did you line up to throw down $30?

From my own casual observation yesterday morning, there was no line in sight at the Social Planning and Event Committee's table on Locust (aside from the line of Dzine2Show models posing on trash cans). According to SPEC Concerts directors, over 600 tickets were sold yesterday, down from last year, when Ludacris and Gym Class Heroes drew over 1,000 ticket buyers on the first day.

Sure, 600 tickets is still a lot, especially because there's no need to rush to buy tickets - Franklin Field can certainly accommodate everyone who wants to attend. Unlike last year, however, the choice of artists may signal another reason for lower sales early on, though the higher ticket price this year may have also scared off students - need I remind everyone that we're in a recession here? But there's always another theory: Perhaps SPEC's attempt to appeal to a diverse group of students has gotten the better of them.

Guster and Akon, what a pair. Many think of alternative and hip-hop as apples and oranges - or marijuana and alcohol, if you prefer that metaphor. They just have different effects on your system. Akon's announcement as this year's headliner came across as a good choice, something that we can all dance to, but the later announcement of Guster as the opener has drawn boos.

"I don't think there's a lot of concerts where you get those two paired together, but with a college crowd they work together," Preston Hershorn, College junior and SPEC Concerts co-director, said.

I commend SPEC for listening to students and avoiding another Sonic Youth debacle, which only us old-timers remember hearing about our freshmen year (long story short: Few people bought tickets, everyone complained, upperclassmen now remember horror stories about concert, O.A.R. played the next year). Hershorn explained the process of creating a list of possible artists for each Fling: SPEC sends out an annual survey, looks at who's popular in general and on campuses and analyzes music interests on Facebook before contacting agents to check costs and availability.

"Their availability is a big concern, because Spring Fling [dates are] set two years in advance," he added.

Intense research aside, there seems to be a disconnect between this year's two acts. Akon has been high on the charts, but Guster is old, five years ago, out of date. I remember Facebook groups petitioning for their invitation to Fling, but didn't see any pop up this year. Still, SPEC maintains that the demand is there.

"Guster always shows up as one of the top artists in the SPEC survey. They come up more than [almost] anyone," Hershorn said.

Even so, Flingers attend the concert for the whole event and putting together mellow rock with rap doesn't create a cohesive show. The last two concerts have brought artists that create a natural flow from one act to the next (ignoring the hour-plus wait in the freezing cold we endured in between Third Eye Blind and Ben Folds).

Hershorn said, "We think that they actually are very disparate genres of music, but they have similar vibes. They've got a sort of laid-back feeling."

I don't think that Guster will have the crowd on their feet. Even though the band is known for playing on college campuses, that doesn't mean they're appropriate for Fling. Ludacris, Ben Folds and O.A.R. were all higher-energy, more exciting acts that fit the weekend's bill just as well as fried Oreos. Too bad Lady Gaga didn't work out - "Just Dance" would have been an excellent tagline for the entire weekend.

The Spring Fling concert will never satisfy every student on campus - that's just as impossible as obtaining a unanimously popular Commencement speaker - but it should still be a great show, regardless of the genre. Guster and Akon are, independently, great shows - but will they work together?

"Music is so subjective," Hershorn said, adding, "There are always gonna be people who are always excited and people who are unhappy."

That's the case yet again this year. We'll have to wait and see how many happy people show up April 17 to enjoy the show.

Christina Domenico is a College senior from North Wildwood, N.J. The Undersized Undergrad appears on Tuesdays. Her email address is domenico@dailypennsylvanian.com.

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