Minutes after FUSA announced 2 Chainz and Kaliii as the Spring Concert performers, students took to Fizz to voice excitement, as well as overwhelming disappointment.
On the day of the announcement, Fizz, the anonymous student forum, was abuzz with students wondering when FUSA would announce who the performers were going to be. Students shared posts reading, “Dear FUSA, You’re kinda late to the party, in terms of telling us who’s performing this year!”
At 4:02 p.m. on April 5, FUSA sent the email with the subject, “You’ll Want to Open this FUSA Email …”; however, students expressed regret at the choice of a performer this year.
Fizz’s most popular post for three days straight read “Upvote if you’re not buying 2 Chainz tix.” The post received 1,900 upvotes at the end of the day Tuesday and continues to be one of the most popular posts of the week. This post is tied with “Upvote if [you’re] disappointed with the FUSA performers, which also received 1,900 upvotes.
Following closely behind in popularity is the post, “Upvote if [you’re] disappointed with the FUSA concert performers,” which received 1,900 upvotes.
Tickets went on sale for all class years on Saturday, April 6 at 12 p.m., less than 24 hours after the announcement was made.
Students then quickly brought into question the ticket prices, sharing on Fizz, “My $75,000 in tuition really couldn’t cover any of that $55 ticket?” and “Considering how expensive this school [is] why do we have the most mid rapper and $50+ tickets.”
Seniors Maddy Kitlas and Riley Nicholson both agree they will not be attending the concert, citing the price increase as a primary reason. “There’s been a price increase since when it was at Bridgeport arena and senior week is too expensive already,” they state.
Students on Fizz then suggested extreme measures, in what could be a joking manner, “Upvote to defund FUSA until they get us a decent concert.”
FUSA President Aliyah Seeanuth ‘24 explains the rise in ticket prices. “Bringing the concert back on campus is more costly than off-campus due to labor, production, security cost and more.” She hopes that by rebranding the Spring Concert to MainSTAGe, it will “provide Fairfield students with an overall exciting, fruitful and memorable experience going forward. She concludes, “We hope that this rebrand draws anticipation to the concert each year the same way a longstanding festival might, ultimately engraving the tradition.”
Many students question 2 Chainz popularity. Junior Melina Kaniclides believes that “2 Chainz is really talented, however, I think it would have been cool to have someone who is more recognizable for their individual work than features on others’ music.”
Seeanuth points out that 2 Chainz is a Grammy award winning artist with numerous hits. “We feel that songs such as ‘I’m Different’, ‘It’s A Vibe’ and ‘No Lie’, as well as his collaborations with artists such as Drake, Ariana Grande, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj, ensure that he will have an electric performance for the first concert in the Arena.”
Posts on Fizz remind students of Fairfield University’s size compared to other schools that host big-name artists. “Don’t forget we’re Fairfield, not a 40,000 undergrad campus. How high of expectations did y’all have?”
Other schools with a similar undergraduate population to Fairfield, such as Marist College with 5,510 undergraduate students, is hosting Saint Motel and Baby Tate, a relatively unknown combination of artists compared to 2 Chainz who receives substantially more monthly listeners on Spotify. Close in proximity to Fairfield, Quinnipiac University will host Flo Rida, who performed at the Spring Concert two years ago.
Still, Kaniclides looks forward to attending the concert in the new area and the exciting atmosphere it will bring. “I am thrilled that the Spring concert is being hosted in the arena this year and I cannot wait to attend! It’s awesome to see that space is being used to host all types of events from admissions to games to concerts.”
FUSA utilized survey results to inform their choice to move the concert on campus and Seeanuth referenced results from FUSA’s post-concert survey last year, in which students indicated wanting the concert to be campus. “While ticket prices have risen, it is ultimately to provide the best experience for all students,” she adds.
As of right now, Seeanuth claims that “ticket sales have been strong for the first concert in the Leo D. Mahoney Arena. We’ve sold over 500 tickets thus far and expect to sell out.” She concludes by encouraging students to “secure tickets before they are gone. Sales end on Wednesday, April 17th!”
Even though many students express disappointment, others harbor optimism for the concert, as Jenna LaRochelle ‘25 declares that “even though I don’t know any 2 Chainz songs, I’m going to vibe regardless.”
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