For the second year in a row, the Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC) has succeeded in scheduling a fall concert, snagging jazz-influenced hip hop band The Roots to headline the event.
The Roots, slated to perform on Friday, Sept. 12, are only the second fall act to take the stage at Boston College since 2003.
And The Roots aren't strangers to performing on Conte Forum's stage. The Philadelphia-based band played at BC five years ago, when they accompanied OAR and Virginia Coalition for the '03 fall concert.
As of press time, the UGBC had not secured an opening act for this year's concert.
Even without an opening act, though, the performance was difficult to schedule. The event's coordinators had to plan early to set the concert in motion.
"We've been working on the fall concert since April," said Garrett Cockren, executive director of campus entertainment and CSOM '09.
The five months of planning are necessary, Cockren said: "The only days we could use Conte were the 12th and the 14th, and a lot of bands are touring or are in other parts of the country. When you only have two dates to work with, it's very difficult."
Included in the selection process were UGBC president and vice president, Chris Denice, CSOM '09, and Alejandro Montenegro, A&S '09, and assistant director of campus entertainment Michael Coughlin, A&S '10.
"The Roots are great musicians, a lot of college students are really into their music, and they just put a CD out in the spring," Denice said. "They're pretty popular, and if you haven't heard their music, it's something you can easily get into."
Though the cost of the event could not be released, tickets will sell for $20 a piece. "It's going to cost way less than Will Ferrell, more than Hellogoodbye, and less than Third Eye Blind," Cockren said. "We definitely expect this to be popular. We're not planning on a sell-out, but the concert will sell well, in our opinion."
Cockren said the cost of the show is not expected to hinder programming in the future.
"If the budget is managed correctly, it's possible to do a fall concert, a spring concert, and a Modstock," he said. "There's a strong demand to have an entertainer on campus. The money is there, and if we manage it properly, it won't limit us at all."
With a fall concert already lined up, the UGBC hopes to set a precedent for the rest of the year.
Cockren said that in addition to traditional UGBC events like Homecoming and the Christmas tree lighting, he hopes to bring in new events that will get students excited and involved in campus life.
"We feel [programming] shouldn't be limited to just this spring show, and it shouldn't be limited to the fall or spring show. We want to do things for the BC community that are going to be popular and successful," Coughlin said.
Denice said he views the upcoming concert as an improvement over last year's event. "Last year's concert set the groundwork, and proved it could be done, and we're following through. We have high hopes for what we want to do this year, and we have a lot of exciting things lined up down the road."
The Roots will perform at 8 p.m. on Sept. 12; doors will open at 7 p.m. Ticketing details will be released via e-mail early next week.
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