Dashboard Confessional played a sold-out show at St. Vincent College (SVC) on March 25, 2006 and on April 1, 2006, the University of Pittsburgh hosted Ben Folds Five, while O.A.R. graces the stage at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. There’s a lack of popular bands at Seton Hill University (SHU), and students are disappointed.
�SVC gets Dashboard Confessional and we get the PovertyNeck Hillbillies,� said Lauren Etling, a sophomore.
By Stormy Knight,
Arts and Entertainment Editor
Dashboard Confessional played a sold-out show at St. Vincent College (SVC) on March 25, 2006 and on April 1, 2006, the University of Pittsburgh hosted Ben Folds Five, while O.A.R. graces the stage at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. There’s a lack of popular bands at Seton Hill University (SHU), and students are disappointed.
�SVC gets Dashboard Confessional and we get the PovertyNeck Hillbillies,� said Lauren Etling, a sophomore.
The PovertyNeck Hillbillies played on campus October 23, 2005; it was the last time SHU hosted a large-scale concert. The concert did not satisfy all students because the PovertyNeck Hillbillies are a country band, and not well-known outside of Pennsylvania. A concern of the university is poor attendance at concerts. �Bands just don’tseem to be something that students seem interested in,� said Jaimie Steel, director of student activities and commuter life.
The �SHUSIC Month of Jams� in February 2005, proved this point. Steel, along with several students attended a conference hosted by the National Association for Campus Activities in October 2005. �The conference was like South by Southwest-only for college. For musicians, it’s the place to be if you want to play at a college,� said Steel.
Steel and the students chose four different musical performers who they heard at the conference to play during the SHUSIC Month of Jams. They chose a variety of genres �For as much effort that went into it, there really wasn’tvery good attendance,� she said.
�Students aren’tinterested in the bands they do bring, so that’s why no one ever goes,� said Etling.
�I know they want to see the big names, but as somebody organizing it I can’tmake the financial investment in a $50,000 if we can’tget people to come to a $3,000 band where the tickets are free,� said Steel.
The tickets for smaller concerts are free, but students need to show up and prove their enthusiasm for the music if they want to see bigger names on campus more often. According to Steel, if a popular band played on campus and not enough tickets were sold, the school would lose a great deal of money. �We wouldn’tgo into something realizing we�re going to take a $30,000 hit on the event, most of our weekly events are free to students,� she said. The Campus Activity Board feels spending $30,000 in one night is not a responsible use of student’s money.
The size of the SHU community is also a problem when big concerts are scheduled. �We�re a small private campus with not enough of a population to justify a big name band,� said Neha Bawa, a senior.
Bawa believes that poor attendance is not only due to the small size of the university, but when the concerts are held as well. �Most bands are scheduled for weekends and a large majority of our students go back home over the weekend,� she said.
Not only is the university small, it’s Catholic as well. According to Steel, SHU is not opposed to having big names perform on campus, as long as they do not go against the mission of the university. �You can’tjust ask a band to change the lyrics of their song because it doesn’tfollow our mission, so there’s not a lot of flexibility,� said Steel.
There are bands the university would not bring to campus, but JoAnn Boyle, president of SHU, encourages live performances. �I�m for them [concerts], and have often suggested that we have more live concerts to whomever is within hearing distance,� said Boyle.
�If enough students say they want big bands, I think you can make it happen,� she said.
The size of the buildings on campus also poses a problem when preparing for large concerts. The only area big enough is outside on Sullivan Hall’s lawn, which restricts the time of year concerts can be held. �There is a possibility of using the McKenna Center; however, it takes away from the time the gym can be used for athletics,� said Steel.
Steel encourages students to visit the activities office if you want to help promote a band who is coming to play on campus or if you know a band who would like to play at SHU. �I know there’s not a strong desire to go if you�ve never heard of the band, but students who go always say �that was a great concert, we loved it, that was great music,�� said Steel.
Steel promises a big name concert for homecoming next year.
Students will be able to vote online from four bands who they would like to hear based on a list comprised by SHU Student Government poll.
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