by Hank Brockett
11/29/01
As the constant work of the CAB Concerts committee can tell you, this is not a perfect world.
The latest attempt to balance fiscal responsibility and create an entertaining campus hits the stage at 7:30 p.m. Monday, when Ben Folds performs at the Holmes Student Center’s Duke Ellington Ballroom.
For the committee and concerts coordinator Jo-Ann Bracelly, Ben Folds offered a chance at an artistically credible act that appeals to a wide spectrum of students – and the first major concert event of the 2001-02 school year.
“This is something that’s different than what we’ve done, but so many different people can enjoy it,” said Bracelly.
Folds, formerly of the paradoxical trio Ben Folds Five, tours in support of his album “Rockin’ the Suburbs” and a piano-based songwriting style that employs both ballads (Ben Folds Five hit the Top 40 charts with “Brick”) and a more upbeat and sarcastic tone. His first solo album, released on Sept. 11, has felt the effects of its release date but still has attracted plenty of critical acclaim.
“He’s a fun act to watch and someone who has seen Ben Folds live has always walked away happy,” said Bracelly.
For CAB, though, audience satisfaction doesn’t make for complete happiness. The size of the audience is what matters, and it’s a problem that has plagued many of CAB’s events even as the student organization (funded through the Student Association) asks for increased funds.
In 2000, the MTV Invasion tour with Wyclef Jean, De La Soul and the Black-Eyed Peas answered the request for hip hop acts, but only 2,000 people filled the Chick Evans Field House. Last spring, two shows put on after a money booster shot from the SA (Nine Days and Nelly) both drew fewer fans than expected.
“We learned what we think is going to do really well doesn’t necessarily do well,” said Bracelly, who took over her position from current CAB president Mike Brady. “I still think last year was a success.”
For Monday’s show, about half of the 1,500 tickets have been sold – a pace CAB expected and one that could quicken with a last-minute rush. Any sale of $15 student or $17 general admission tickets helps offset a total cost for the concert (talent costs plus production costs) estimated at $40,000. That means even with a sell-out, the low ticket prices would help pay for about $22,500 of the costs.
“If you can’t afford to go to it, then what’s the point of bringing it in?” asked Bracelly.
Even with the acknowledged loss on the concert, Bracelly continually emphasizes that the Ben Folds concert, just like any of the big-name acts that CAB has brought in, helps when planning concerts for the spring semester. For every ticket dollar spent, that money is represented in the potential budget for another act.
“You’re investing into the quality of entertainment on this campus,” said Bracelly.
Even so, some might argue that students already invest in CAB concerts with their payment of student fees; and about half of that money heads in CAB’s direction. To that, Bracelly points to the efforts made by the committee members to get the word out, through radio, chalk and even television commercials – and to that idealistic shift from the bottom line to the bass line.
“There’s a lot of Ben Folds fans on campus,” she said. “It’s for all kinds of people. You’ll see a diverse audience.”