BRITTANY YEAROUT
News Assistant
Ticket sales are soaring as Jimmy Eat World is set to propel Pepperdine to its largest concert ever.
The concert sold out to the public within three days and 428 tickets were sold the first day of ticket sales last night, which is the most tickets any Pepperdine concert has sold in one night.
The concert will be in the Firestone Fieldhouse on Dec. 4 at 8 p.m., organized by the Student Programming Board.
Pepperdine knows what to do when it comes to having a great concert, according to the Student Activities Coordinator Justin Schneider.
“Pepperdine is a wonderful place for a concert,” Schneider said. “We have a great student body and we are very close to one of the largest cities around … and the close vicinity to people’s homes makes it easy to get out here.”
At the beginning of the semester, SPB surveyed students regarding their favorite band. Jimmy Eat World came in second with 73 votes, next to Jack Johnson with 156 votes.
However, there are other issues besides popularity.
“The first step is to figure out possibilities,” Schneider said. “Who do the students want to come? Who will be appropriate for Pepperdine? Who can we afford?”
Jack Johnson won by a landslide. However, Johnson is so popular that he was out of Pepperdine’s price range.
Due to a contract with Jimmy Eat World, SPB cannot disclose how much the band cost.
“If you consider all the factors that are present with Jimmy Eat World right now, like they are following up on a phenomenal album and they just got off of a tour opening for Green Day, and to be able to afford that sort of band in a small setting like Firestone Fieldhouse, shows that we got a great deal,” Brooks said.
Besides the money factor, a question that is often raised when Pepperdine hosts a concert is how the university balances Christianity with secular culture.
“There are a lot of limitations on what kind of stuff gets approved by the school,” sophomore Anthony Kennada said. “We are never going to see Eminem at Pepperdine because it is a Christian school. We definitely want to keep the bands within the same mission statement that Pepperdine portrays.”
Jimmy Eat World is a band that has no problem respecting Pepperdine and its mission, according to Schneider.
“Jimmy Eat World is a big mainstream band that covers a wide spectrum,” said freshman Bridget Nielsen, who is a member of the concert committee. “There are songs that everyone just knows and their music has been liked for a long time.”
SPB expects to sellout and be able to have another concert next semester.
“Financially, the way the show has come together, it has been maybe the best of any show we have ever done,” Brooks said. “We are able to cover all of the costs from the concert budget, and we have a concert that sold out to the public in three days.”
Concert committee members said they expect the student tickets will sell out fast.
11-17-2005