Ratatat to open at Fling

Tuesday morning, students scoured campus for brightly colored flyers that revealed facts about the first of the three Spring Fling concert performers.

Ratatat, an electronic music duo, was confirmed as a Fling opening performer at 12:55 p.m. by 34th Street’s blog, Under The Button, after students located six facts placed on pink flyers across campus.

College juniors Shana Rusonis and Jordan Sale, two of the three Social Planning and Events Committee Concert directors, believe that Ratatat will add diversity to the Spring Fling concert, which will take place on Friday, April 15.

Rusonis added that Ratatat is different from past years’ Spring Fling artists since “they’re not your traditional rock band.”

Wharton senior and SPEC President Adam Thompson agreed. “It’s a genre we have not had yet in Franklin Field,” he said.

“Ratatat was a catch for us and we think Penn students are going to be excited,” Rusonis added.

When the performer was announced, students were similarly excited by the genre of music Ratatat will bring to Fling.

The announcement was “so exciting,” Wharton freshman Maxine Winston said.

College junior Callie Taylor agreed. “It’s not the genre [of music] I listen to on a regular basis, but I think it will be good for Fling,” she said. “Much better than [last year’s performer] Snoop Dogg.”

“My friends were the ones who got me into Ratatat — their song ‘Party With Children’ has been on my playlist for what feels like forever — but I think that people will either love or hate them,” Wharton freshman Kate Ham said.

Some, however, did not share the enthusiasm.

“I just Googled them. I’ve never heard of them ... Maybe I’m the only one who doesn’t know Ratatat. I would expect someone more popular,” College freshman Connie Liao said.

The scavenger hunt included clues posted around campus such as, “The members of this Fling artist met at Skidmore College.” The first student to send a picture of each clue to UTB received a pair of free floor passes to the Fling concert.

College senior and 2009 SPEC Spring Fling director Jayme Van Oot, who sent a photo of a fact on the gate outside Addams Hall to UTB, thought the scavenger hunt “was a pretty creative way to get involved in figuring out who the [opening] artist is.”

This year’s scavenger hunt was meant to be “more interactive” than last year’s hunt which revealed Kid Cudi through banners which spelled out his name around campus, Rusonis said.

College sophomore Andrew Jakubowski, who was the first to send in a photo of a fact about Ratatat in the Perelman Quadrangle, said he “just sort of did it for the heck of it.”

“It just sort of came to me, I didn’t go looking for it,” Jakubowski added.

Although the first Fling concert performer is no longer a mystery, students await the reveal of the other two performers. “Each artist [in this year’s lineup] is definitely a name in their own right,” Rusonis said.

“We’re really excited to release them all in quick succession so people can start thinking about Fling and get excited,” she added.

Last year, Schwayze, Kid Cudi and Snoop Dogg performed at Spring Fling.

Tickets for the Spring Fling concert will go on sale next Monday.

This year, tickets will not be sold for general admission but will be sold by sections in Franklin Field. Penn students may purchase tickets for $40 for floor access or $30 for all other seating.

SPEC, in collaboration with the Vice Provost of University Life, has also instituted new attendance requirements. Concert patrons must be at least 18 years old, a Penn student, or a guest of a Penn student with a Spring Fling guest pass. Proper identification will be required in order to enter Franklin Field.

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