By Connor Small
Writer
Get ready. It’s time to relive all of those awkward middle school dances: Nelly is coming to the University. Last week it was announced that our Spring Concert this year features Nelly, with Timeflies opening. While I can understand the hype around his coming to the University, I (along with many of my peers) question the decision to bring him to campus.
Now, before I say anything else, let me say this: I do enjoy Nelly, and I recognize the talent he has. He has had many chart-topping singles, including the songs “Ride Wit Me,” “Hot in Herre” and most recently, “Just a Dream.” His album “Country Grammar” has been certified nine times platinum, and for good reason. He is truly talented—that is indisputable—but I am disappointed the Concert Committee couldn’t find an artist from a genre other than hip-hop.
The three big concerts this year, Chiddy Bang/The Cool Kids, Wiz Khalifa and now Nelly will all have featured hip-hop, and I feel the Concert Committee is not doing justice to the many appealing artists in other genres. Bands such as Arcade Fire and Bon Iver (who won Grammys for the 2011 Album of the Year and 2012 Best New Artist, respectively) are both popular, versatile and mind-blowingly good live. Besides coming from a genre other than hip-hop, I can guarantee that people would buy tickets to see both of these bands, as well as many others.
I understand when people our age attend a concert, they want to dance and party, and finding an artist that people like to dance to may have been one of the driving forces behind the decision to bring Nelly to the school. But the University used to have a great tradition of bringing in artists on the rise, just before they became big, and with a diverse range of genres (past acts include Kanye, Jay Sean, Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, The Goo Goo Dolls and Rusted Root).
Another aspect to consider is campus climate: how does Nelly reflect the principles and morals of the University? Is the man who sings about taking off all of our clothes, and who sponsors the energy drink “Pimp Juice,” really, in the eyes of the University, the best choice to echo the goals the school has been working towards? With a higher focus on Campus Climate, this selection has, understandably, made some faculty members upset. While this might not be important to many students, it should definitely be considered.
I don’t mean to rip on Concert Committee, nor do I want to seem as if I am telling it how to do its job, I am simply stating there should be more diversity in terms of concerts in the future. I know part of the committee’s job is to find artists that will appeal to the largest number of students possible, but they have ignored the fact that the University has a diverse range of musical interests, and that not everybody likes rap. I have great respect for all members of Concert Committee and their efforts in trying to provide fun concerts for us, and I know that they have the capability to bring in artists that everyone will enjoy.