More than 6,500 tickets were still available for Friday’s Art Attack concert by yesterday afternoon, but event organizers expect sales to surge the day of the show.
By 5 p.m. yesterday, 3,409 of 10,000 available tickets were sold at the Hoff Theater, according to Student Entertainment Events, which organizes the annual concert at Byrd Stadium. The figure is about 2,000 less than previous years, but a spokesperson for the event said it was “a little murky” because it does not account for vendors such as Ticketmaster, which provide updated numbers only upon advanced request.
“Most people don’t feel any rush to buy their tickets or to pick them up,” said SEE President Noreen Tahir. “They figure it’s a 10,000-person show, and it’s a concert in a football stadium. So it’s not going to sell out.”
Oklahoma pop punksters the All-American Rejects – best known for bubble gum singles like this year’s “Dirty Little Secret” and 2002’s “Swing, Swing” – will headline this year’s concert. Rahzel, of the hip-hop outfit The Roots, and indie scenesters Washington Social Club are also part of the line up.
Students claimed 3,047 tickets, free with a university ID, at the Hoff by yesterday afternoon, and non-students bought 362 tickets, Tahir said. Tickets were on sale to non-students for $15 – up $5 from last year.
In the past, many students claimed tickets hours before the event, which this year kicks off at 5 p.m with a set by student artist DK.
The day before last year’s concert, with rapper Common as headliner, almost 5,500 tickets had been sold. But almost 9,000 were sold by the end of the concert.
In 2005 – which included Guster, Gin Blossoms and Chevelle – 5,478 tickets had been sold the day before the concert. About 8,000 tickets were reported sold for the show.
“It changes from a minute to minute bases,” said SEE spokeswoman Michelle Rattner. “People are even buying tickets while the concert is going on.”
The relatively low figure may signify a low student interest in the show. Some say it’s a back-up for a Friday-night outing and that this year’s headliner is not nearly as popular as Common was last year.
Junior economics major Aviran Edery, who attended last year’s show, said he hasn’t yet picked up his tickets in case he makes other plans.
“Last year’s was better cause they had Common,” said Edery. “But it’s free, and it’s a concert. I mean, I might as well go.”
Other students echoed the sentiment.
“I don’t like the All-American Rejects at all,” said sophomore Emma Ingersoll, who says the group is long past its prime. “They remind me too much of middle school. I don’t think they’re an A-list band anymore.”
SEE is offering Virginia Tech students free admission, a friendly gesture following the shootings there last month, Tahir said.
“We decided it would be one small thing that our organization could do to help people put their minds on other things,” she said.
But it has been difficult to get in touch with the Virginia Tech student events board to organize transportation programs and get the word to students, Tahir said.
“We looked into chartering buses to send to Virginia Tech to bring students here if they were interested,” she said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to coordinate that with their staff members.”
The event was advertised through posters on the campus, Washington and through Facebook flyers, Tahir said. She added, however, they were unsure of being able to meet the 10,000 goal.
Contact reporter Mark Milian at newsdesk@dbk.umd.edu.
