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Seattle band performs live on campus
April 25, 2007
Since he stepped foot on the PLU campus as a freshman, junior Ben Johnson has dreamed of organizing a huge concert on campus.
Johnson’s dream will come true on May 4 when The Presidents of the United States of America, the musical masterminds behind the hit singles “Lump,” “Peaches” and “Some Postman,” perform live in Olson Auditorium at 8 p.m.
The show is being organized entirely by students and is co-sponsored by Seattle radio station 107.7 The End.
While Johnson initiated the planning process, he insists the show’s ultimate success should be credited to the 10 members of the planning committee: Brian Pedey, Matt Terjeson, Allen Schliebe, Luke Peterson, Nick Caraballo, Kyle Nowadnick, Brian Benson, Brett Monson and Steve Johnson.
Planning for the concert began in February, when Johnson agreed to fill the vacant ASPLU entertainment chair position. He had just returned from a semester studying in France, but he jumped right in to his new duties, which including organizing Wednesday’s HUMP events.
Johnson decided to add duties to his job and suggested the student government organize a big spring concert. After getting the green light from the ASPLU executive team, he started the process, which thus far, has been both stressful and rewarding, Johnson said.
The first snafu hit when Johnson tried to find a venue. ASPLU typically hosts concerts in Chris Knutzen Hall, but with the closure of the University Center for renovations, that was no longer and option.
“We finally decided to go big or go home,” he said. ASPLU chose to book Olson Auditorium, a space that can hold nearly 3,000 people when the main floor is deemed standing-room only.
The next step was finding a band. Johnson talked with fellow students to figure out which artists would likely attract a crowd, and then he got on the Internet and began contacting artists and their agents.
“I actually got out there and just did it,” Johnson said. “You have to have the guts to cold call someone.”
Johnson received responses from a number of bands, including Death Cab for Cutie, Jason Mraz, Dave Matthews Band, Sugarcolt and Toby Keith. But most of the bands were too expensive for his budget.
In late February, The Presidents of the United States expressed interest and named their price, which was at the top end of Johnson’s budget. To get a better feel of what the campus community wanted, Johnson conducted a poll on Facebook.com. Students overwhelmingly chose the band as their top choice.
Johnson realized that in order to convince the ASPLU executive team to spend the additional money, he’d need to present them with a rock-solid plan. He developed a solid “business plan” that included the results of the online survey, a budget, timeline and detailed the committees needed to handle various tasks. Within four days, his proposal was approved and he’d handpicked the 10-member committee to help him organize the event.
“Putting together a 2,000-person concert in less than two months has not been an easy task,” Johnson said.
The planning committee is responsible for everything, from advertising, audio and lighting to safety and concessions. The process has been a huge time commitment, and Johnson estimates he’s devoted at least 300 hours to the process so far, sometimes working for more than eight hours a day.
Seattle radio station 107.7 The End is co-sponsoring the concert. The partnership includes advertising spots produced by the radio station, and radio hosts promoting the concert on air during their shows and giving away free tickets. Additionally, one of the station’s on-air hosts, DJ No Name, will MC the night’s festivities.
Tickets are available for the campus community through the Campus Concierge at ext. 7411. Tickets for students cost $10, and they cost $15 for faculty, staff, alumni and friends of PLU community members.
The concert is open to the general public, and the doors open at 7 p.m.
The show is being organized entirely by students and is co-sponsored by Seattle radio station 107.7 The End.
While Johnson initiated the planning process, he insists the show’s ultimate success should be credited to the 10 members of the planning committee: Brian Pedey, Matt Terjeson, Allen Schliebe, Luke Peterson, Nick Caraballo, Kyle Nowadnick, Brian Benson, Brett Monson and Steve Johnson.
Planning for the concert began in February, when Johnson agreed to fill the vacant ASPLU entertainment chair position. He had just returned from a semester studying in France, but he jumped right in to his new duties, which including organizing Wednesday’s HUMP events.
Johnson decided to add duties to his job and suggested the student government organize a big spring concert. After getting the green light from the ASPLU executive team, he started the process, which thus far, has been both stressful and rewarding, Johnson said.
The first snafu hit when Johnson tried to find a venue. ASPLU typically hosts concerts in Chris Knutzen Hall, but with the closure of the University Center for renovations, that was no longer and option.
“We finally decided to go big or go home,” he said. ASPLU chose to book Olson Auditorium, a space that can hold nearly 3,000 people when the main floor is deemed standing-room only.
The next step was finding a band. Johnson talked with fellow students to figure out which artists would likely attract a crowd, and then he got on the Internet and began contacting artists and their agents.
“I actually got out there and just did it,” Johnson said. “You have to have the guts to cold call someone.”
Johnson received responses from a number of bands, including Death Cab for Cutie, Jason Mraz, Dave Matthews Band, Sugarcolt and Toby Keith. But most of the bands were too expensive for his budget.
In late February, The Presidents of the United States expressed interest and named their price, which was at the top end of Johnson’s budget. To get a better feel of what the campus community wanted, Johnson conducted a poll on Facebook.com. Students overwhelmingly chose the band as their top choice.
Johnson realized that in order to convince the ASPLU executive team to spend the additional money, he’d need to present them with a rock-solid plan. He developed a solid “business plan” that included the results of the online survey, a budget, timeline and detailed the committees needed to handle various tasks. Within four days, his proposal was approved and he’d handpicked the 10-member committee to help him organize the event.
“Putting together a 2,000-person concert in less than two months has not been an easy task,” Johnson said.
The planning committee is responsible for everything, from advertising, audio and lighting to safety and concessions. The process has been a huge time commitment, and Johnson estimates he’s devoted at least 300 hours to the process so far, sometimes working for more than eight hours a day.
Seattle radio station 107.7 The End is co-sponsoring the concert. The partnership includes advertising spots produced by the radio station, and radio hosts promoting the concert on air during their shows and giving away free tickets. Additionally, one of the station’s on-air hosts, DJ No Name, will MC the night’s festivities.
Tickets are available for the campus community through the Campus Concierge at ext. 7411. Tickets for students cost $10, and they cost $15 for faculty, staff, alumni and friends of PLU community members.
The concert is open to the general public, and the doors open at 7 p.m.