B.o.B. and Far East Movement fails to draw interest among students
Earlier this week, the Homecoming concert featuring B.o.B. and Far East Movement was cancelled. The Main Campus Program Board “MCPB”, announced the news on its Facebook page, attributing it to, “Unforeseen circumstances.”
This comes amid last month’s cancellation of Spring Fling. The performance of Aziz Ansari was heavily criticized as well, but resulted in 4,200 attendees.
The selection process for Homecoming artists began in May. MCPB conducted a survey asking students what genre they were most interested in. Similar to years past, the overwhelming response was rap. Big Sean and Kid Cudi performed in 2012 and 2011, respectively.
With that knowledge, MCPB then began the search for performers based on factors including availability, organizational budget, and price point for sales. This year, the group chose to exclude entertainers with obscene lyrics. This eliminates anyone who has songs related to drugs, sex, or violence, which narrowed the options.
Several performers were approached about performing at homecoming, but declined. This means that the final results were not necessarily MCPB’s preferred choices.
When the Homecoming performers were announced on Twitter, students expressed lackluster feelings. Individuals tweeted statements such as, “Great. I’ll bring my grandparents with me”, and, “Hey at least no one needs to wait outside in the cold this year.”
“I think he’s okay, but then again I feel like there could’ve been a better choice. I actually like B.o.B. compared to the majority of people,” said sophomore Stephanie Depestre.
B.o.B. garnered major success with his debut album in 2010. His debut single, “Nothin’ On You”, topped billboard charts in the U.S. and the U.K.
There was even less excitement for Far East Movement, best known for their hit single “Like a G6”. The song received widespread airplay when it was released in 2010. Although they have toured with artists such as Rihanna and Calvin Harris, some felt they were not a big enough draw to warrant the price of a ticket.
Amy Bendekovits, Vice President of MCPB, said, “Although we recognized some of the negative responses, we were still hopeful that students would be excited about the opportunity to see a concert with two successful artists.”
As of Monday, approximately 230 tickets had been sold. As per contractual agreements, MCPB was required to pay the artists prior to canceling the concert. Due to financial reasons, MCPB has no plans to schedule another musical event this year.
Bendekovits said, “The costs of hosting a concert make it impossible for us to do multiple mainstream events per year. In order to do other events both on and off campus, we would not be financially able to host yet another concert.”
B.o.B. is performing on November 1st at Kirby Center in Wilkes Barre.
By: Christina Morgeneier
Sources:
http://temple-news.com/living/2013/10/15/students-mixed-performer/
THE EXCLUSIVE 