2008 Woodie Awards
WIU needs bigger bands
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Opinion
Put down your coffee and dig out your tape of "Hangin' Tough." For the second time in our lives, New Kids on the Block are touring.
CNN.com reports group members Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre and Danny Wood are recording a new album and planning a tour, both of which will combine classic NKOTB hits with new material written by Wahlberg, Knight and McIntyre.
The reunion got the WC staff thinking about how recently, stripper-loving rap artist T-Pain performed at Western, proving attracting big names to our campus is not impossible. If Western can't "Hang Tough" with the bad boys from Boston, perhaps the UUB and BCA can look into bringing other notable acts here.
In 1997, bands Eve 6 and Third Eye Blind performed at Western Hall to a full house. Both bands were wildly successful at the time and probably demanded a high price to play.
The major musical act for this school year was Elvis Costello. While the event attracted a decent audience, it seems more students would rather see live music at a bar. No offense to Costello, but he is not an artist typically heard at parties.
Though the BSA used nearly all of its budget to bring T-Pain to Western, we feel spending money to bring one big name performer to Western each year is better than financing 20 smaller groups.
Attracting sell-out artists to campus may seem impractical because Western Hall can only hold so many people. Rather than turn artists away because one venue cannot support a large audience, organizers can think about utilizing various locations around campus.
If a group like the Dave Matthews Band came to Western, the concert could be held outdoors instead of Western Hall. Hanson and/or Vince Grady Field would be perfect for a large concert. Thousands of people could attend and students could walk to the performance from their residence halls or apartments, reducing the amount of traffic in the area.
An outdoor concert would also be more enjoyable because the music would not echo like in an indoor venue. The performers could turn the amps up without damaging the eardrums of everyone within a three-county radius.
Some students, however, may not appreciate having only one notable concert per year. Luckily, several of the bars in town have the capacity to invite bands like Tripping Billies and Transfer to Red to play while patrons mingle. Other smaller locations like the Day Old Basement and ADD Loft provide an intimate setting and offer more local bands.
We commend UUB and BSA for all of the hard work they put into bringing entertainment to Western. From plays to concerts, these organizations do their best to keep Western students entertained. We do think, however, a little more attention could be given to attracting more popular artists to our campus.
The reunited NKOTB is merely one more option.
CNN.com reports group members Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre and Danny Wood are recording a new album and planning a tour, both of which will combine classic NKOTB hits with new material written by Wahlberg, Knight and McIntyre.
The reunion got the WC staff thinking about how recently, stripper-loving rap artist T-Pain performed at Western, proving attracting big names to our campus is not impossible. If Western can't "Hang Tough" with the bad boys from Boston, perhaps the UUB and BCA can look into bringing other notable acts here.
In 1997, bands Eve 6 and Third Eye Blind performed at Western Hall to a full house. Both bands were wildly successful at the time and probably demanded a high price to play.
The major musical act for this school year was Elvis Costello. While the event attracted a decent audience, it seems more students would rather see live music at a bar. No offense to Costello, but he is not an artist typically heard at parties.
Though the BSA used nearly all of its budget to bring T-Pain to Western, we feel spending money to bring one big name performer to Western each year is better than financing 20 smaller groups.
Attracting sell-out artists to campus may seem impractical because Western Hall can only hold so many people. Rather than turn artists away because one venue cannot support a large audience, organizers can think about utilizing various locations around campus.
If a group like the Dave Matthews Band came to Western, the concert could be held outdoors instead of Western Hall. Hanson and/or Vince Grady Field would be perfect for a large concert. Thousands of people could attend and students could walk to the performance from their residence halls or apartments, reducing the amount of traffic in the area.
An outdoor concert would also be more enjoyable because the music would not echo like in an indoor venue. The performers could turn the amps up without damaging the eardrums of everyone within a three-county radius.
Some students, however, may not appreciate having only one notable concert per year. Luckily, several of the bars in town have the capacity to invite bands like Tripping Billies and Transfer to Red to play while patrons mingle. Other smaller locations like the Day Old Basement and ADD Loft provide an intimate setting and offer more local bands.
We commend UUB and BSA for all of the hard work they put into bringing entertainment to Western. From plays to concerts, these organizations do their best to keep Western students entertained. We do think, however, a little more attention could be given to attracting more popular artists to our campus.
The reunited NKOTB is merely one more option.
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 6
Terri
posted 4/04/08 @ 4:15 AM CST
As a student with a vast array of musical interests, I would rather see a variety of acts visit campus, as opposed to only several mainstream artists. (Continued…)
DonC
posted 4/04/08 @ 8:44 AM CST
Good idea for a story but terrible delivery. Your newspaper shows little knowledge of the concerts industry and should have started by alking to those that do know what is possible. (Continued…)
Jeremy Smith
posted 4/04/08 @ 2:41 PM CST
I remember these same conversations back when I was involved in the Concert Commitee and UUB back in the early 90's. Truth of the matter is, concert's are extremely expensive and it is hard to justify one act per year. (Continued…)
Charles
posted 4/04/08 @ 3:39 PM CST
The problem with bringing bigger bands to campus is the idea that no one will come with today's decreasing campus participation. The University Union Board as well as the many other organizations understands that a large band may just be a waste of money if we cannot sell-out such artists as Yellowcard, Lupe. (Continued…)
thispaperisgay
bigboobsplease
posted 4/07/08 @ 9:33 AM CST
wiu needs bigger boobs
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