When FUSA announced that Ludacris will be Fairfield’s performer for the spring concert, many students wondered how this concert will compare to Sacred Heart University’s lineup.
Every year, students compare Fairfield’s act to the one scheduled at nearby Sacred Heart. In recent years, many felt that Sacred Heart has come out on top in terms of the quality of the performer and the turnout.
Besides consistently holding two concerts a year, Sacred Heart’s “Pitt Center” is said to attract bigger names. The facility, which opened in 1997, is larger than Alumni Hall and fits 5,000 people. This gives Sacred Heart the ability to attract bigger crowds and thus acquire more ticket revenue than is possible at Alumni Hall, which can fit a maximum of 2,000 people.
Each year, many Fairfield students attend Sacred Heart’s fall and spring concerts.
Kirk Matefy ’10 said he was more impressed with Sacred Heart’s concerts in the past.
“One: I like the Black-Eyed Peas. Two: I like the way the Pussycat Dolls look. They’re the type of music I listen to,” he said.
However, getting big names, such as Ludacris, for Fairfield’s concert is not an easy task, due to budget limitations and scheduling.
So, how does FUSA choose the right performer for Fairfield?
Katelyn Waters ’08, FUSA director of concerts, outlined the process. She said that FUSA goes through many steps when deciding who should headline the concert.
STEP ONE
First, a survey is sent to students, usually toward the end of the spring semester. This survey asks for students’ opinions on issues including whether they would prefer one or two concerts a year, or what performer they would be interested in seeing.
STEP TWO
According to Waters, FUSA gathers all the information it receives and brings it to an agent they work with, who helps them in the selection process. The agent then looks to see which artist is touring the area and who coincides with the results of the survey. Once this is done, the agent compiles a list of performers and brings it back to FUSA to decide.
STEP THREE
The final decision is made by a group of five people that includes Waters; Vanessa Jackson ’08, the other FUSA director of concerts; Cristina Pires ’08, FUSA executive of programming; Elizabeth Carr, a graduate assistant; and Caroline Joy, the assistant director of student activities and facilities.
The group decides who it thinks would be best and tries to come up with a decision together, though Pires said, “In the end, it’s the [three] students who make the final decision.”
Acknowledging that Ludacris was the first choice this year, Waters said that FUSA likes to look at all the options before making a final decision.
“We go in with an open mind, based on who’s available,” she said.
There will be only one concert this year, as was the case last year. This may lead some students to wonder if this is the new norm at Fairfield.
Pires and Waters said it was not.
FUSA goes into each year with the goal of getting bigger names, and with the budget, sometimes it is impossible to have two concerts a year, according to Pires.
Waters added that the number of concerts per year is not set in stone. It varies from year to year and depends on many factors, such as the budget and student opinion.
Working with a budget of $33,000 this year, FUSA was able to get Ludacris for $85,500. The remaining money will come from expected ticket sales as well as help from the office of student affairs, according to Pires.
Some students are content with the performers FUSA has brought to Fairfield.
“I think artists like Guster and O.A.R. are more Fairfield driven, but Ludacris just came out of nowhere,” said Julia Wyka ’11.
One big complaint from students such as Wyka and Matefy about the FUSA concerts is the price of tickets for Ludacris – $30 for students and $40 for the public.
“It’s definitely too expensive. I think there should be a greater student discount,” Wyka said.
Matefy concurred: “Thirty dollars is a little much for students. I know a lot of people don’t have jobs, and they’re hurt on cash.”
A big name like Ludacris comes with a large price, leading some to wonder if the concert could be held at Harbor Yard instead of Alumni Hall in order to fit more people and get more ticket sale revenue. This is practically impossible for FUSA, though, according to Pires.
“We can’t use Harbor Yard because we have to pay for it,” she said. “And with the budget, it just would not work out. The athletics department has its own contract with Harbor Yard strictly for basketball games, so for a concert, it would be too expensive.”
However, both Pires and Waters said that FUSA’s goal was to make this year’s concert bigger and better, and they both said they are pleased with positive responses from the student body.
“We wanted to get across this year that we were looking for a different act,” Waters said.
Pires said she is very excited for the concert; Waters agreed saying that all the work they did was for the students.
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