When I started my education here at Wayne State College, we had a free concert from the band 3OH!3. The past three years’ silence on big name artists led students to take the matter in their own hands, when they started ALT Fest in response to not having concerts.
Bands like Lou, Lou, Louie!, Lazarous Go Home and Fox Pelt just to name a few of the bands that have recently performed at WSC. This raises the question, where did the concerts go? And not just the concerts that are performed by local bands and the bands at WSC, the big-named bands we used to bring before.
WSC used to have spring break concerts with some big names like 3 Doors Down, Goldfinger, The All-American Rejects and even The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Like I mentioned earlier, there hasn’t been a spring concert band performance in three years after 3OH!3, which kept many students around to see the concert. Not only are we not getting big industry names at WSC, other colleges– mostly universities– have consistently had a spring concert. University of Nebraska Lincoln recently had Waka Flocka Flame and Pearl Parade for their spring concert.
To me this says a lot about WSC, with the students themselves taking charge due to the college not providing a concert. Other senior students and I were excited to see more spring concerts, but to my knowledge, there isn’t a plan to bring them back anytime soon.
I think having a concert for the students is a great idea. It keeps the students on campus for a weekend, and allows them to have a concert experience for free in a safe environment. Students who haven’t been to a concert at a real venue could be exposed to something that they didn’t expect. At one of the first concerts I went to, I was offered cocaine, which not only is really funny to look back on, but it was an uncomfortable experience because I didn’t know what to say. I politely declined the offer.
Having concerts at WSC with big-name artists brings in more future students, and could bring in a good profit for the college if non-Wayne State students paid for tickets. I think students would appreciate and love a return to dorms with a big spring concert to cap off and celebrate the students’ work.
