Fergie receives mixed reactions from students
When Syracuse University juniors Angela Ma and Arielle Jerome found out that a triple-platinum recording artist was headlining the year’s biggest concert event, their reaction was surprisingly apathetic.
‘It’s OK,’ Ma said. ‘(Block Party) just kind of goes by, I don’t give it much thought.’
The Daily Orange reported Monday that Fergie will be the marquee act for this year’s Block Party event alongside special guest Sean Kingston – an announcement that spawned mixed reactions from students across campus.
Bryan Fucarile, a junior management major, expressed his discontent for this year’s lineup, citing that Fergie and Sean Kingston are substandard compared to previous Block Party acts.
‘It was kind of disappointing,’ he said. ‘Freshman year we got Kanye (West) so it’s kind of a big disappointment. I’m not really into Fergie or any of her songs.’
Junior Jon Smyth agreed, saying that given the event’s history, this year just doesn’t cut it by comparison.
‘In the past 10 years they’ve had some decent acts, you know Common, The Roots,’ he said. ‘At least bring something normal people would like, not just 12-year-old girls.’
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Despite the naysayers, Fergie and Kingston do have a fan base on the SU campus that plans to attend the concert on April 22.
‘I know Fergie, she’ll be doing her thing,’ said Joshua Foust, a freshman computer engineering major. ‘I got a feeling this thing is going to be a whole lot of fun. I’m pretty excited. I’m definitely going to that.’
Michael Hirsch, a sophomore management major, said that judging from the people he’s talked to, Block Party appears to be fulfilling its purpose as a major on-campus event.
‘I guess from talking with my friends, everyone’s pretty happy about it,’ Hirsch said. ‘I myself don’t really know the two artists that well, but from what I hear, it sounds like it’s supposed to be good this year.’
This year’s Block Party is also different due to a five dollar increase in student ticket prices, which have risen to $20 for students and $40 for the general public. There will be an additional $2 fee for tickets purchased online.
When asked about the hike in ticket prices, Sterling Proffer, co-director of the University Union Concert Board, declined to comment.
Students will be able to purchase the $20 tickets during the student presale, which begins on today at 9 a.m. and ends on Friday at noon.
Afterward, students can only get the tickets in person at the Schine Student Center or Carrier Dome Box Offices during their regular business hours, said Matthew Snyder, director of communications and media relations.
If the acts themselves did not serve as a deterrent for students not wanting to attend Block Party, an increase in ticket prices might.
‘$20 is kind of steep for me,’ Jerome, a child and family studies and social work major, said. ‘If I had a friend who was going, I probably would go, but as of right now, no,’
Although, with concert tickets on the rise – now averaging almost $61.45 a ticket, according to Pollstar.com – seeing a popular act like Fergie for around $20 could still be considered a good deal for students like Foust.
‘If Fergie is coming, I’ll pay $22 to see it,’ he said.
Despite a lack of enthusiasm among some SU students, the UU looks to top last year’s Block Party, which featured a wavering attendance throughout the show as many concert goers left after supporting act Lupe Fiasco.
In the meantime, if the UU wants to bolster its attendance, they should try finding more diverse performers, Smythe said.
Or, in his case, at least let him know a little about the act.
‘It’s not really Block Party material,’ he said. ‘Well, I don’t know, I don’t know the difference between Rihanna and Fergie.’
Asst. news editor Stephanie Musat and asst. copy editor Paul Stanley contributed reporting to this story.
Published on March 25, 2008 at 12:00 pm
