RamEvents, formerly ASAP, chooses an artist to perform at the fall concert each year. This year’s choice has brought mixed reviews from Colorado State University students.
On Friday as part of RamFest, musical artists Nico & Vinz and opening act Mike Posner will perform at Moby Arena for Homecoming.
According to RamEvents external relations and public relations coordinator Sydney Boyle, RamEvents strives to consider students’ input when choosing the artist.
“We seek student input to serve the representative interest of students,” Boyle said.
According to Boyle, the planning process starts in January, by conducting genre surveys with texting campaigns and ads in the newspaper.
“Our main concern for the concert is providing an event that students will enjoy at a discounted price,” Boyle said. “We want the concert to represent the diversity of CSU and their input.”
After student input, RamEvents sends an offer letter to the agent of their top choice. If the artist accepts, they then move on to the contracting process.
Boyle said, in 2012, Macklemore was RamEvents first choice, and he promptly accepted.
“RamEvents is obligated to host a nationally known performer,” Boyle said.
This year’s selection for up-and-coming Norwegian duo Nico & Vinz was due to what Boyle calls a “current” sound.
“Nico & Vinz are up-and-coming,” Boyle said. “They are big in Norway and Europe and just played at the Nobel Peace Prize concert and it was huge worldwide concert.”
The feedback on RamEvents’ choice of musical artists has garnered mixed reviews from CSU students.
“I am not going to the concert because I have never heard of these performers,” said Noah Waldmann, a biomedical sciences major at CSU. “I went last year to Macklemore, and it was a lot of fun.”
Some students are unsure about attending the concert because they are not familiar with the artist.
“I would potentially go to the concert,” said Lauren Ross, a landscaping business major. “I don’t really know the main artist but I’d like to go and appreciate their music.”
Ross said she is happier with the choice of opening artist Mike Posner, rather than the opener from last year’s Macklemore concert, who she said no one was familiar with.
“I really like Mike Posner, he has a funky sound to him, and I can dance to this kind of music,” Ross said.
The low cost of the concert, $10 for CSU students, is a draw for potential concert-goers.
“I would spend the money to see them [Nico & Vinz],” Ross said. “That would be the cheapest concert I would ever go to.”
Boyle said RamEvents has to consider many unseen and seen costs of the budget, like hospitality and safety, which totals over $100,000.
“Sometimes, the production costs more than the artist,” said Hector Frias, RamEvents lead event programmer.
This year, the Homecoming committee approached RamEvents to plan their concert for 100th annual Homecoming week. With this proposition, and a longer contracting process from Nico & Vinz, the concert this year was not held during the first week of school like in years past.
“RamFest is part of the CSU tradition,” Boyle said. “It doesn’t matter who the artist really is, going to the concert is CSU tradition, that’s what Rams do.”
Nico & Vinz and Mike Posner will perform at 8 p.m. in Moby Arena on Oct. 17. Student tickets are priced at $10 for arena seats and $15 for floor, while community tickets are priced at $35. Tickets have been on sale since Sept. 10, and can be purchased online at csutix.com or at the box office on the first floor of the Lory Student Center.
Collegian Reporter Clarissa Davies can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @DaviesClarissa.
