Lack of dates sinks fall concert

For the third straight year, there will be no UGBC-sponsored fall concert on campus, leaving seniors as the only class to have experienced the now-mythical event. The concert was again derailed by a lack of dates for Conte Forum made available by the athletics department and a lack of quality acts to fill those limited dates.

"I'm not gonna force my hand by booking a crummy act just because we don't have any dates," said Ryan McHaffie, UGBC director of campus entertainment and CSOM '07. "We started talking in May, kept talking over the summer, and then got in touch with athletics. It became apparent it was going to be the same situation [as previous years.]"

McHaffie worked through Chris Darcy, the assistant dean for student development, and Joe Shirley, director of facilities for athletics, who McHaffie said were both extremely helpful in improving the process over previous years. Though only 39 of the 84 dates from the start of school in September to the end of November were taken up by athletic events utilizing Conte (football, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's hockey, and volleyball), McHaffie pointed to practices for those teams, which are less frequent in the spring, as the primary reason dates in Conte are so difficult to come by in the fall.

With the fall event no longer an option, the UGBC is already working proactively to make sure next year's concert goes smoothly and is headlined by a top-notch act, though the organizers know they are fighting an uphill battle to top last year's Kanye West blockbuster. McHaffie said "three big-name rock acts" had already been contacted about performing at Conte this spring. He declined to name the three acts.

"You can't top a hip-hop act like Kanye," said McHaffie, referring to last year's spring concert. "We thought we'd focus on getting a top-quality rock act in the spring."

The goal for the spring is to have programming details for the concert nailed down before second semester begins. Once the UGBC hears back from the bands, it will look at available dates in Conte and then begin the bidding process with the individual bands.

The last fall concert was held in 2003 when The Roots, OAR, and Virginia Coalition played Conte. Since then, scheduling difficulties have prevented the concert from continuing, along with the University's rejection of Ludacris as a performer last fall due to the rapper's explicit lyrics and themes in his music.

Last year, the UGBC was offered just three dates for Conte in the fall and were given an equally limited number this year. The athletics department offered 13 dates last spring, which was a number large enough to give them the flexibility to secure an act like Kanye West.

"It's just too hard, but I always think everyone needs to look at the possibility," said McHaffie about whether pursuing the fall concert in the future is worth the effort. "If you can book a great act in the fall, then book a great act in the fall."

McHaffie said that other venues had been looked at for the fall - namely the Plex and an outdoor concert - but that each location presented too many difficulties.

The Plex would not be able to handle the sound and light systems needed for a big concert and would also cut down on the number of tickets that could be sold.

"In terms of quality of acts, we need a large scale venue," said McHaffie. "We never turn a profit on the concert because we can't be justified in charging 50 bucks a ticket."

An outdoor concert would seem to solve the problem of space, but McHaffie said a rain site would be required, and the only site big enough is Conte.

Shirley and the athletics department could not be reached in time for publication.

As a contrast, Boston University's Agganis Arena (BU's equivalent to Conte) has held Clear Channel Entertainment-sponsored concerts this semester with Bob Dylan, Widespread Panic, and Paul Simon, along with several other performers. The concerts are open to both BU students and the general public.