Last Sunday, the Black Keys performed at San Diego State University. Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, Ryan Adams and David Gray will perform in December at a benefit concert at Cal State University Northridge. G-Eazy played a show last month at University of California, Santa Barbara.
So, why aren’t headliners stopping at Cal State University Long Beach?
“The top two things would be venue and money,” said Keya Allen, CSULB alumna and program manager of 16 years.
At the Nugget Grill & Pub, students got to experience Led Zeppelin, Sublime and Red Hot Chili Peppers before their heyday. More recent decades have seen campus host a Fergie-less Black Eyed Peas and a pre-Spiderman soundtrack Nickelback.
Torched patches of grass and busted water vanes were all that was left of the George Allen Field in 2003 when the Vans Warped Tour came through campus. Although it sold-out and was conceptually successful, the cracks in the plan ended up costing the school “tons of money,” Allen said.
Ludacris marks the last headliner to come to The Beach. He performed at the Walter Pyramid in 2008, to much avail.
“Staging, lighting, the sound—it was amazing. It even rained that day,” Allen said. Yet the event only sold 1,500 of the 4,000 tickets available to students.
After the University Student Union Program Council and Associated Student Inc. had organized the event, even dealing with protestors against Ludacris’ lyrical misogyny in the process, the fundamental fall-out was rooted in getting the word out, Allen said.
Allen said that authorities were cautious to CSULB’s firsthand introduction to hip-hop culture on a large scale.
Official word from police and insurance companies restricted promotion and event advertisement, Allen said, until one week prior to the performance in order to avoid excessive hype.
“We just had a lot of red tape,” Allen said.
At maximum capacity, the pyramid can hold 5,000 of the 36,000 students currently enrolled. CSULB’s hilly incline and lack of designated areas come into play when moving concerts outdoors, Allen said.
Los Angeles is oozing with live music. Surprisingly, this factor suffocates CSULB from full potential since the city is so available to artists, accommodating them cozily in matters of both venue and profit.
Beach Blast brought acts like Smashmouth and Reel Big Fish to campus for CSULB’s first major concert in the Pyramid sponsored by ASI. The university lost $56,260 in throwing the event, according to ASI chief administrator Richard Haller when the concert took place in 1999.
“The school doesn’t seem interested in hosting concerts, even though ASI has stated that as one of its goals” Will Torres, president of the Underground Music Society, said. “Music should be a bigger part of campus culture.”
UMS struggled with bringing live music to students through shows, festivals and open mic nights featuring local musicians both on and off-campus.
“We want champagne artists, but we got Coca-Cola money,” Allen said. Being extremely familiar with the pleas for Queen B and hounded for booking Macklemore after his face became a figurehead of last semester’s ASI campaign, Allen is aware that students are hungry for big names.
CSULB has a deep-rooted reputation of affordability. Allen said that students like it that way.
“Students don’t want to vote for more money,“ Allen said. “We have one of the lowest tuitions and student fees in the CSU system, but [that] means a low pool that goes into the student fee [for ASI and the USU Program Council].”
Whatever amount is collected annually for the USU Program Council must be rationed and filtered throughout the year. Through a separate fund, ASI receives money that is selectively spent on activities and events.
Ideally to curb the cost, Allen said that she thinks block-booking artists with other CSU schools may be a vantage point for negotiating price tags.
“If Maroon 5 is [theoretically] coming to Cal State University San Diego for $5,000,” said Allen, “maybe [they] can reduce their price to $4,000 and play two schools for $8,000.”
Finding a happy medium is ideal, Allen said. “We got to not have ticket prices be so low that we can’t have another concert, but not something so high either.”
Another concern is that amplified sound is only permitted from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. outdoors on weekdays, according to campus policy. This includes even small amplifiers for microphones.
This is in compliance with the City of Long Beach’s Community Noise Ordinance that protects residents from any potential disturbances including air conditioners, leaf blowers and even loud “door slamming,” according to Section 8.80.010.
At first, UMS fought to legitimize their name. Now, the one-year old club combats the deafening ban of noise ordinances, Torres said.
“It seems like the school would rather ban all amplified events outside just to be safe, but doesn’t provide a simple alternative for groups looking to host a show,” Torres said. “It’s an arduous task to get a show going on campus, outside or inside.”
Outside of finances, the USU Program Council must adapt to a different set of incoming members each year.
There are six members of the board – including three freshmen – who are in charge of the year’s events and 400 clubs, let alone negotiate with heads of the entertainment business for a night of bad behavior with Drake or the papier-mâché bobble heads of Arcade Fire.
“It would depend on the artist,” freshmen interior design major Gloria Mendoza said on whether she would attend an on-campus concert. She would want Coldplay to come to the pyramid.
John Mayer tops the request list of senior public relations major Danielle Scharer.
“His music is neutral,” Scharer said. “He’s talented and brings more to the audience than just singing.”
“Students want this,” Allen said. “Big concerts are coming.”