OUR VIEWS Consensus Opinion

Concert costs

In an effort to draw a larger crowd to the annual Sting Break concert, the Student Center Programs Council plans to have a two-genre concert. Having already booked Big Boi (of Outkast) as one of the acts, the council put out a survey to gauge student opinion for the second group. To fund this endeavor, the Programs Council approached SGA to ask for $40,000. UHR approved the bill in full while graduates cut the allocation in half, but both houses passed the bill with the added stipulation that attendees pay to enter. The undergrads wanted to charge students at least $5 per ticket, while the GSS bill specified a $10 mininum cost. Our representatives seem to have forgotten that much of the appeal of the Sting Break concert is that it is free.

For those of us who have been here long enough, we reminisce fondly about the years when the Sting Break concert was an outdoor event with general admission contingent on the presentation of a BuzzCard. The open-air venue gave the concert a lively atmosphere and better overall vibe. More importantly, students could get close to the stage without the interference of concert security, and die-hard fans could arrive early to get closer to the stage.

The Programs Council’s efforts to make the event appeal to a greater audience are praiseworthy; however, we are concerned about the future direction of the concert. An indoor concert with assigned seating is simply a hassle and prevents students from freely coming and going into the concert. Especially if two genres are booked, it is unlikely that all students would want to stay for the entire concert; if access to the pit were restricted, it will likely be half-empty during each set.

More importantly, moving the event away from being gratis destroys the Sting Break tradition. Since its inception, Sting Break has always been a free event for Tech students—a day when stressed-out students can take a break and feel appreciated. The addition of an added genre is not worth the added consequence of a $5 or $10 ticket price.

The nominal fee that the Programs Council originally wanted to charge for tickets would have been acceptable to ensure a capacity crowd (many students who reserved tickets last year didn’t show), but a double-digit ticket cost seems pricey.

Living in Midtown Atlanta, Tech students already have a wide selection of concerts they can attend for a fee; thus, charging a more than nominal fee for the Sting Break concert would only discourage students from attending instead of bringing more students out to enjoy the show.

Consensus editorials reflect the majority opinion of the Editorial Board of the Technique, but not necessarily the opinions of individual editors.