By JESSICA PEREGOY

jep024@latech.edu

 

Ben Folds rocked the suburbs five years ago, and  April 21, he will rock the Tech campus.

Union Board’s Spring Concert will host Ben Folds in the Thomas Assembly Center, located on Alabama Avenue.

“I can’t believe he’s coming here,” Patrick Mears, Union Board production manager and a senior mechanical engineering major, said. “Ben Folds just sort of worked out perfectly, and it’s incredible.”

The concert was made official last Thursday as the contract finally made its way into the hands of the Union Board.

Mears said the concert will be inexpensive to students.

“You can’t beat paying 10 or 15 bucks for non-students to see Ben Folds at Tech, whereas if you go to his shows anywhere else you’ll pay anywhere from $30 to $60.”

The selected artists for this year’s concert had to meet a certain price range and be able to fit Tech in on the group’s tours and Ben Folds fit the bill, Mears said.

The date was posted on Ben Folds’ Web site and other music news sites before Union Board even knew it was official, which began spreading the news faster and farther than Union Board members expected, Mears said.

“Several people have called asking about tickets already,” he said. “A guy from Jackson [Miss.] called, and even a priest came in the office asking for tickets, saying he was so excited about [Folds] coming.”

Not only will the concert draw a crowd from surrounding areas, but Tech students are excited about the news as well.

“I’m super freaking excited,” Mandi Vidrine, a freshman general studies major, said. “It’ll probably be pretty humorous. He’s such a crowd pleaser.”

Mears said he hopes for audience participation, a key to Ben Folds’ performance, and looks forward to seeing someone as big and talented as Folds performing on Tech’s campus.

“I just hope I get to see a few songs,” Mears said. “I’m so glad he’s coming, but I’ll have to work the whole time.”

Greg Gauthier, a junior mechanical engineering major, said Union Board’s selection is proof that the group has their finger on the pulse of the campus.

“It’s great that we have a Union Board active enough to know what kind of music we want and bring it here,” Gauthier said.

Mears said since the selection had been made and the contract had been drawn out, there has not been an official Union Board meeting to work out the details of the event, such as exact ticket prices, sale dates and who will perform as the opener.

Students should wait for details to be announced or check Union Board’s Web site at www.UnionBoard.com for more information.