Matthews, John Mayer, or The Fray? Maybe not at Marquette, but Carthage
College in Kenosha, Wis. has managed to host each of these shows on its campus over the past few years.,”
Have you ever seen Bob Dylan play a show at Marquette? How about Dave Matthews, John Mayer or The Fray? Maybe not at Marquette, but Carthage College in Kenosha has managed to host each of these shows on its campus over the past few years.
Why is it that a school like Carthage can consistently bring in big-name performers while Marquette – whose undergraduate population is roughly four times larger – charges students $20 to watch the virtually unknown Nickel Creek?
At Carthage, combined funds from its student activities board and student government curb ticket prices for these concerts, according to Paul Lidy, director of Student Activities.
Costs wouldn't be a problem if Marquette Student Government stopped babysitting the reserve fund and tapped into its available $140,000 to make shows like these possible.
Marquette should be able to easily compete with this entertainment standard set by Carthage and, considering the size of our student body, should not have a problem bringing in big names. Even performers who are not as widely known in the mainstream but popular with college students – such as Ben Folds – provide easy alternatives to the superstars carrying a hefty price tag.
If MUSG expects a larger crowd than the 800-seat capacity of the Varsity Theatre, Marquette should get creative and consider the Al McGuire Center as a concert venue. The Al hosts many athletic events and the arena has the capacity to hold up to 4,000 people.
Students want live music from performers they know. Last year, students were even surveyed to gauge which concerts they wanted to see on campus.(waiting to hear from Steve Ryan).
If Carthage can pull in big-name acts, why can't we? We already have the money, the capability and the interest. What we need is initiative from student leaders.
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