Program Board announces spring concert performer at reveal party
Central Michigan students prepare for the dance battle for a chance to win raffle tickets for free tickets to the spring concert on Jan. 8 at Bovee University Center.
An auditorium filled with excitement Jan. 8 as nearly 100 students were the first to discover that the 2004 "Beautiful Soul" performer is heading to Mount Pleasant.
Program Board, a student-led entertainment organization, hosted a Spring Concert Reveal Party to announce Jesse McCartney, with opening act, Public, as its musical guest at 8 p.m. March 22 in Finch Fieldhouse.
Vicksburg junior Brendan Shephard said McCartney is the type of performer nobody knows they want to see until the opportunity presents itself.
"Seeing his name brings out your 12 year-old self and really brings you back to this sweet spot of nostalgia," Shephard said. "Nobody younger than us will understand how cool this is, but we will all love it."
Tickets to see McCartney are $15 per student and $25 to the public. VIP Meet and Greet passes will be an additional $40. To purchase tickets, visit Ticket Central or cmich.edu/ticketcentral.
For Woodhaven freshman Molly Dwornick, she was instantly ecstatic to find out about McCartney's upcoming show, explaining that "her grade school self is jumping up and down and on the verge of fainting."
"I remember dreaming about him," Dwornick said. "I just remember always wanting to see him in concert when I was a little girl and now I can."
Brittany Davis, an Ionia freshman, said that the unveiling of the event brought forth a feeling of urgency.
"Suddenly I was my 10 year old self again, and I realized how rare this is," she said regarding the reveal. "I didn't even know he was performing again."
The Reveal Party took place in the Bovee University Center Auditorium. Students were lined up beforehand and greeted with raffle tickets for a chance to win free concert tickets, pizza, doughnuts and Insomnia Cookies.
Festivities included a dance battle led by local entertainer DJ Pedro Pe$o, showcasing the moves of seven student contestants. The evening also opened with a Kahoot quiz game that covered the history of Program Board and featured more than 80 players.
In the past, Program Board's concert series has brought Ozzy Osbourne, Ke$ha, Big Sean, Ludacris and most recently, DNCE to Central Michigan University. Concert Director Grace Pawluszka said choosing the nostalgic performer was based on her mission to bring diverse sound to CMU this academic year.
"We did a poll on social media and surveyed students on what type of genres they'd like to see make an appearance," the Warren senior said. "We paid attention to what students were requesting on Twitter and what they made clear online, along with having to consider what's within our budget."
She said although pop and indie were the most requested, she had to consider the diversity in musical tastes that flourish on campus.
"Everyone has their own taste. Some people like EDM, some like rap and some are more all about indie," Pawluszka said. "I really tried to bring as much diversity as possible with the Coffee House series — bringing in some country and some folk."
She believes McCartney will bring an upbeat energy to campus and will make students feel "happy and ready to dance."
Program Board President Marissa Mattioli is projecting Finch Fieldhouse to become a "literal madhouse."
"We are already looking at a lot of crowd control for this event," Mattioli said, adding that the venue will be entirely general admission. The venue's max capacity is 2,000.
Reactions on social media were mostly positive with excitement from viewers. The phrase "dreams to come true" or something relating back to "childhood dreams" was commonly used in posts.
Livonia freshman Hannah Sherman is looking forward to buying tickets for her roommate.
"I am ecstatic and just know it's going to be a great time," she said.
Sherman said despite her excitement, she was a bit disappointed to learn that McCartney did not match up to rumored performers. Her original hopes were set on alternative indie duo, Twenty One Pilots.
Davis said the announcement made her realize that as new talent emerges, the icons of this generation become less and less available.
"This is our time to be kids again and may be our last chance to do it," she said.
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