Every spring, right before finals begin, students expect a rocking band to take the stage on the president's lawn and deliver a raucous farewell to the semester. In the past few years, groups such as radio standard Better Than Ezra, popular hip-hoppers A Tribe Called Quest, rapper LL Cool J, and even the Barenaked Ladies have all played Spring Fling. This is thanks to the Concert Board, one of the largest decision-making groups on campus.
In addition to the widely attended Spring Fling, the Concert Board also sponsors the yearly rock, hip-hop, and jazz shows, as well as Battle of the Bands, an event that invites Tufts-based bands to duke it out for a chance to play the coveted opening spot at Spring Fling. In recent years, the Concert Board has successfully attracted big-name bands to Tufts for shows other than the Spring Fling, such as the Violent Femmes, Pharcyde, They Might Be Giants, Fastball, and Save Ferris, this year's rock show headliner.
In choosing bands, the Concert Board considers several crucial elements: the opinions and musical preferences of the board's 50 members and the student population as a whole, the budget allotted for each show, and suggested bands' availability. The board's co-chairs, senior Jenna Lowe and junior Dan Aaronson, emphasized that the board works as a whole to make these decisions.
"The way we pick any of our acts is through a vote," Aaronson said. Though Aaronson and Lowe oversee the booking of the bands and the production of the shows, their votes count the same as the votes of any other board member.
The Concert Board begins organizing each show with a brainstorming session: Its members often come up with a list of 15 bands they'd like to see perform. Since the board coordinates concerts that focus on several different musical genres - jazz, hip-hop, and rock - its members must have diverse musical interests. "I think we have a pretty good mixed representation of musical tastes," Lowe said.
Once the board narrows down its list of possible bands to a manageable number, Aaronson, the board's booking chair, presents the list to their agent, Howie Cusack of Pretty Polly Productions. Cusack investigates each proposed band's price range and tour schedule, and then submits a list of affordable bands that will be in the Boston area during the desired time. According to Lowe, the process of narrowing down options is a "back-and-forth" procedure in which the board members and Cusack communicate on a regular basis to vote on available bands and trim their wish list.
Once the Concert Board chooses a band, it submits a bid to the band's agent. If and when the bid is accepted, board members, under the leadership of Production Chair Lowe, begin planning the show in earnest.
Without a doubt, Spring Fling is the Concert Board's most difficult show to book and organize. "There are ten times as many details [to worry about]," Lowe said. Board members must coordinate plans with the bands, the Tufts University Police Department, and Dining Services. They must also account for the noise pollution that invades the communities surrounding campus.
According to Aaronson, "the logistics [of Spring Fling] are enormously complex." Since Spring Fling is the Concert Board's culminating event, board members try hard to book bands that a majority of the Tufts population will appreciate.
"We want it to be amazing," Lowe said. Yet both she and Aaronson admit that in a student population with such diverse musical tastes, it is often difficult and nearly impossible to please everyone.
Of course, money figures high in their priority list when booking and looking for bands. "That's what it ultimately comes down to," Aaronson said.
The more money in the Spring Fling budget, the better known the bands that the Concert Board can woo to campus. The board is currently appealing to the administration for extra money, but it has been slow to offer financial support.
Aaronson suggests that Tufts' small size is a "limiting factor" in the bands they can attract, since smaller schools tend to have less money for these purposes. "We can't compete as well for acts as the large [schools]," he said.
In contrast to the many frustrations that come along with planning Spring Fling, Lowe and Aaronson feel that the Jazz Show, which will be held this Sunday, is often the easiest event to book and organize.
Unlike the Spring Fling process, the board usually has no problem staying within their budget for the Jazz Show. "It's really easy to get good, solid jazz acts to come [to Tufts]," Lowe said.
Also, the Jazz Show requires less equipment and fewer crew members and ushers than other shows. "There's a lot less stress," Lowe said.
Aaronson, Lowe, and the rest of the Concert Board are excited about the Jazz Show, which will feature guitarists Charlie Hunter and John Scofield. "I love them myself," Aaronson said. The show will be held this Sunday, Feb. 11, in Cohen Auditorium, and tickets are still available.
