<ring Concert is one of the most widely attended annual school-run events and yet many people can’t even agree about what kind of band should be sought after. The question always hangs in the air as to whether we want a band that many people on campus would know or a smaller “hipster” band that less people know but many would argue is a higher quality band. Obviously, it is impossible to please everyone, especially on a campus as diverse in taste as Carleton.
This year $25,000 was dedicated to the spring concert committee in hopes that a large headliner could be obtained. This may seem like a lot of money to allocate to this kind of event, but it is less than half of what other liberal arts schools of the same caliber are dedicating to this same event. Last year Amherst spent over $60,000 on Macklemore alone. Carleton tried to obtain this same artist last year, but the price was continuously raised until Carleton could no longer afford to have his presence on campus. So, there is a definite question that remains as to whether spring concert committee even has the funds to achieve the goal that they set out to achieve.
In the past a large percent of the funds went into the intro bands such as Doom Tree last year, which although was technically opening for Smashmouth, the overall feedback indicates that most of the students actually enjoyed Doom Tree more than Smashmouth. This year, the spring concert committee is dedicated to getting a larger headliner that hopefully more of the student body will enjoy watching.
But still the question remains, does this mean that there will be a pop band or a more lessor-known Indie band? Sophomore Julia Krumholz insists “the most important part of going to any concert is being able to sing along.” And of course if you have this position a pop band would be more accessible to the majority of campus to already know the lyrics. However, some argue that quality is a greater factor in making the spring concert band decision than the simple act of singing along. Of course the concept of good music is completely subjective and those who feel that pop music is not of high quality may know the words to the Indie bands that they are advocating for. Still, it is a significant point to be raised. If an excellent but little known band were to come to campus would the student body be satisfied with the choice?
Freshman Cyrus Deloye argues that it would be. “It is important to insist on the quality of the music that we are hearing. There is definitely a compromise that exists between annoying pop and a band that no one has heard of, someone that is both good and fun to listen to in a concert venue.” Obviously this would be ideal but spring concert committee has their work cut out for them. It is not an easy job trying to satisfy the students of Carleton, but everyone is hoping that the money that has been allocated towards this event will be enough to please the majority.