<rbeques for breakfast, thousands of students strewn across the lawn and live music streaming from behind the Rec Center can only mean one thing for Carls: Spring Concert. This year’s Spring Concert was held on Saturday May 16 on the field behind the Rec Center.
The show started at 12:00 with two student bands, Menagerie and Send Messages, followed by The Cave Singers. The bands were well received, but most of the crowd arrived later, around 3:00, when Toubab Krewe performed. Toubab Krewe is known for its fusion of music from Mali and America. The show ended with Muja Messiah performing with Wale and UCB. Carleton also had four of its own students as DJs between the gigs: Ben Page, Jerome Potter, and Dan Curme/Dan Kagan-Kans.
Most of the students seemed happy with the bands. Tina Hahn, a rising sophomore, said that she felt the bands were “a good mix”. On the other hand, naysayers could also be found, “I wish they played more covers than their own songs,” said Dan Read, who claimed he had a great time at the spring concert with his friends as they split their sides when Wale and UCB performed their ‘Ice Cream Girls’ song.
Despite mixed opinions about the bands, most people were happy with Spring Concert, especially regarding the weather: sunny and windy, despite a bit of cold. Rising juniors and seniors who remembered the last two concerts as rainy particularly valued the nicer conditions.
The event, which was organized this year by Campus Activities and the Social Programming Board, went smoothly. The College had its regular alcohol policy for the spring concert, which allowed those above 21 to bring six beer cans to the concert. Those above 21 were given a wristband upon entrance, which would differentiate those above and under 21 from each other. Students were also informed via e-mail that those who were too intoxicated would not be allowed to enter Spring Concert.
The College had also hired security personnel from ASIA security to assist the Carleton Staff in making sure the event remained safe for everyone. There were around 50 student volunteers and 20 staff volunteers present on the day of the event to supervise and help students. The College also provided students with free soda and cotton candy while students could also buy food from Chapati’s, Tiny’s, B & L’s and the Contented Cow.
Lee Clark, Director of Campus Activities, was “very proud of all the students from the Social Programming Board” and was “impressed by their overall dedication and vision.” Clark mentioned that since both he and Dean Thornton were new this year, there was a lack of institutional memory regarding the planning of the event, but he feels that the students they worked with this year did a great job. Planning for next year’s Spring Concert with a fully-staffed Campus Activities Office will make the concert an even bigger success.
New Associate Dean of Students, Julie Thornton said that she was happy with how the event turned out and proud that the Social Programming Board had done a good job without a Director and Assistant Director of Campus Activities for part of the year. While Thornton was satisfied, she was surprised at the lack of parameters at the venue of the spring concert. “It is impossible to properly regulate such an open space, especially regarding the amount of alcohol people bring in and consume,” Thornton said.
The Concert was followed by dinner served by Bon Appetit on the mini bald spot outside the LDC.
Students interested in working with the Social Programming Board for next year can apply by contacting Lee Clark in the Campus Activities Office or by emailing [email protected] . Lost items from Spring Concert can be found in the Campus Activities Office.
