This past Thursday, the lights went down in the Island Federal Credit Union Arena and students were treated to the musical styling of 3LAU and Lupe Fiasco for the “Back to the Brook” fall concert .
Some students on line that night could not wait to get inside. Others walked by, seemingly uninterested, and were coming merely to see the turnout and then going about their business.
For some students at Stony Brook, bass drops and hip-hop does not do it for them musically. Some students would much rather see a rock band or an alternative group or something that is not the same “rap and EDM” show we have been having so frequently.
Now do not get me wrong; I went to the concert on Thursday and I had a lot of fun and I will definitely be going again in the spring. But as part of the crowd to which these artist are supposed to appeal, even I say it is time for a change.
But let’s get something clear; I thought the concert was great, and that USG did a great job. The venue was more than adequate and both of the artists garnered my attention as soon as they were announced. I will admit, I was there for 3LAU more than Lupe Fiasco, but for $5-$10, the show was a steal and both artists did a phenomenal job. I really liked 3LAU’s set and although I do not listen to much of Lupe Fiasco’s music, his performance convinced me I should definitely do the opposite.
The opening act, Nice Shot, Kid, was awesome as well. I do not really listen to the style of music they played, but I still found myself infected with the energy they brought. In this mindset, I urge anyone who has yet to give rap or EDM or any genre of music a chance to try it out; you will never know if you like something unless you give it a try.
On the other hand, there is no denying that recent events have catered to one musical taste. While it just happens to be my musical taste, I am fairly certain that I would be just as quick to line up for a rock concert as the rap and EDM shows we have been having. Regardless, we have all participated in some form of this conversation at one point or another during our time here.
“What artist are we getting for the fall/spring concert?”
“I hope it’s not another rap and EDM thing.”
“Why can’t we just get a rock band or something different?”
These sentiments are not unfounded either. The past three big concerts have all been a rap-and-EDM combination; Mac Miller and The Cataracs (fall 2013), Childish Gambino and Diplo (spring 2014), and Lupe Fiasco and 3LAU (fall 2014).
There are a lot of factors that go into who we have and when we have them. There is finding a suitable space, seeing when that space is available, seeing when artists are available, security checks and a whole bunch of other things.
I decided to look at prices of artist online to see just how much some groups are. After looking at a list from Degy Entertainment on Variety.com and assuming that we have about $120k-$100k to spend on artists, I can see some great acts that would cater to those who have felt slighted by the recent choices. Keep in mind that these are the fees of the artist before any expenses, including those unrelated to the artists, such as hiring extra security or printing the tickets themselves.
The Arctic Monkeys supposedly cost about $75k-100k, All Time Low costs $35k-45k, OK Go costs $35k-50k and the All-American Rejects cost about $50-75k. In terms of openers, we could have Aloe Blacc for $25k-40k, Broken Bells for about $20k-$35k+, Tame Impala for $10k+ and everyone’s favorite conversational example, Reel Big Fish, for about $15k-20k.
According to this same list, Lupe Fiasco and 3LAU cost about $115k together. On the other hand, I am pretty sure students would understand if we had only main act instead of two if we got someone big like the Arctic Monkeys. I am not saying that these options have been ignored in the past, but I think that USG should seriously consider changing up the act a bit for the spring concert.
