Half-time show not worth cost of entry

I love Tech football. Even when we get stomped 27-3, I stay 'til the clock runs out and clap as the disappointed players march back to the locker room.

I love hip-hop. I have been to more rap and hip-hop concerts than I can count on both hands. I used to break dance. And I try not to go too long in between MJQ visits.

But putting the two of them together? Bad idea.

There were just so many things illogical and wrong about getting Outkast member Big Boi to perform for a mere nine minutes at half time of the Virginia Tech football game last Thursday. The fact that Tech's Athletic Association spent $43,000 on the Big Boi halftime show is not the least of the issues.

The only good thing about that was that Big Boi did this show for free; he personally received no monetary compensation for performing during Thursday's game, according to Wayne Hogan, Tech's Associate Athletic Director for Public Relations.

But wait, you say! Then where the heck did that $43,000 go? Apparently it went to pay for promotion, advertising, staging and labor for the show. Staging and labor I understand, but personally I didn't see an ounce of promotion or advertising except through a few megamod emails. I have asked around and have yet to find anyone who saw any sort of advertisement other than email and word of mouth about this event. I would love to see a further breakdown of the costs and expenditures related to the show.

The official reasoning behind even getting this half of Outkast to perform during the VT game was to "drive ticket sales." There were 1,121 more fans in attendance compared with 2006's Thursday evening game. With tickets going for $45 a piece, that's $50,445 more in the Athletic Association's coffers than last year.

Was this comparative increase of ticket sales mainly due to Big Boi? Considering last year's Thursday night game was against unranked Virginia, I doubt it. Either way, there is no hard evidence to accurately tell whether the half-time show contributed to the increase, and if so, to what extent.

The other incredibly disappointing aspect to the halftime show was its brevity. Big Boi sang three songs for a whopping total time of nine minutes. That means that it cost us more than $14,300 dollars per song or over $4,750 per minute of the performance.

Besides the fact that the show was a complete waste of time and resources, it should be stated that it was executed poorly. Big Boi performed on an approximately 300-square foot stage facing the west stands, which consist almost entirely of alumni and other fans who generally enjoy their football games sitting down. I'm sure they "enjoyed" the performance that way too...If they even stayed until half-time, that is.

Well, at least us students could hear him over the speakers that were ever so kindly positioned in front of us...at least if your section's speakers were plugged in. The clowns operating the speakers in front of the SWARM section and the section next to it seemed unable to figure out how to insert the speaker cables into their appropriate holes.

The problem with not enjoying the performance stems from having to observe it from your seat, especially when said seat happens to be a good 50 yards away from and behind the stage.

I think I'd feel closer to the performance if I were in China watching it on my laptop. The general fun of going to a concert and seeing a musician you like perform live is being so freaking close that you can reach out and be inches away from giving them a high five, and maybe even receiving one.

A couple of years ago, I got this wonderful gadget some of you might have heard of. It's called an "MP3 player." It plays music with near CD quality reproduction directly into my ears and it's so teeny, it fits quite nicely in any of my pockets! Hot damn!

Wait! Couldn't I just listen to all the songs Big Boi sang on that thing? Hold on a minute, I could even listen to a few other ones, too! Maybe I could have the better half of Outkast perform on it, even! If the AA insists on having halftime show performances I think they need to sincerely rethink both who their primary audience is and how they execute it.

In a press release on RamblinWreck.com, Wayne Hogan said, "Big Boi's unique presence will bring Georgia Tech football into the mainstream of the Atlanta entertainment scene...we are striving to provide a blockbuster entertainment experience for Atlanta's young and diverse community. What better place than in the heart of Atlanta-as a part of Georgia Tech football?"

I have an idea for providing a "blockbuster entertainment experience" at Tech games: Try winning some football games on at least a semi-consistent basis.

And about bringing "young and diverse" Atlantans to Tech games?

I don't think some urban Atlanta youth is going to rush out and buy a $45 ticket to a football game to see a three song performance during a game where the home team can barely hold onto the ball. But hey, I could be wrong.

Maybe if the AA hadn't made it so apparent last year that they were running out of money, demanding the mandatory student athletic fee be increased, then go and blow $43,000, I wouldn't be complaining.

I think the Athletic Association needs to reevaluate its priorities, and put the recruiting and training of winning teams ahead of gimmicky promotions to try to drive up their ticket sales.