The show will be held in McGuirk Arena on March 15. Along with Atkins, country band Gloriana and artists Tyler Hilton and Jana Kramer will also perform.

Atkins first made his presence known on music charts with “Honesty (Write Me a List),” in 2003, and since released hit country songs “Take a Back Road,” “Watching You” and “If You’re Going Through Hell (Before The Devil Even Knows).”

Special guests Hilton and Kramer are known for their acting abilities as well as their music, and have appeared together on the television show “One Tree Hill,” among other television and movie roles.

Program Board President Paul Sullivan said the lack of country music performances at CMU in semesters past contributed to the artist selection.

“It’s a combination of the facts that we haven’t had a country singer in a while and there has been a demand for country shows,” the Allen Park senior said.

Sullivan said he has heard from many students that they have been waiting for a country artist to perform, so he expects fans of the genre to be excited for the show.

“I’m confident that it will be a great show and everyone who attends will really enjoy it,” Sullivan said.

Although Atkins is popular in the country music world, students doubt that his performance will be as well-attended as artists in the past.

“I don’t think he will be that big of a hit,” said Perry sophomore Cayley Higbee. “A rock or pop band would definitely be more successful. I haven’t even heard that Rodney Atkins was coming.”

Battle Creek sophomore Jazmine Price said her friends are excited for the show, but she isn’t interested in attending.

“Personally, I’m not excited at all, but I know some of my friends are crazy about him,” she said. “I think it’s good that they’re bringing him to campus though, because it’s important to appeal to everyone and bring a variety of artists.”

Tickets for the show will go on sale Feb. 8 at Ticket Central, located in the CMU Events Center. Ticket prices for the event range from $8 to $17.

“People who enjoy country music will enjoy the concert, I’m sure. I doubt attendance will be that high, though,” said Kalamazoo sophomore Bri Smith. “LMFAO was a better choice because it’s pop. That’s all you hear in the dorms. Everybody knows their songs. Country is a different story.”

Senior Reporter Catey Traylor contributed to this report. 

Jane Goodall in 1999. (Akira Suwa/Philadelphia Inquirer/MCT)

This past semester Central Michigan University was visited by big name artists and celebrities like LMFAO, the Cool Kids, Chiddy Bang, and the cast of “The Buried Life.”

This spring, students should expect to see a continued variety of entertainment and concerts.

Dayglow will be invading Mount Pleasant for the second time this academic year on Feb. 24 at Finch Fieldhouse. The Facebook event page describes Dayglow as “the largest college paint party and electronic music concert in the world.”

Though the headliner has yet to be released, Anthony Lazzaro, a Hope junior who helped bring Dayglow to CMU, said, “students should expect a big headliner for Dayglow. It’s someone who is very popular with the college crowd.”

Lazzaro is the Red Bull Student Manager for CMU and also the event manager at Wayside Central, 2000 S. Mission St.

Preglow, the pre-party for Dayglow, will be held on Feb. 4 at Wayside Central.

Students should also be on the lookout for information for big concerts in the middle of April and something big at the end of March, Lazzaro said.

But this spring semester will not just be filled by paint parties and concerts.

As the Red Bull Student Manager, Lazzaro is putting on Red Bull Paperwings, a paper airplane-flying contest. Red Bull will pay for a qualifying team from each region to go to the world finals in the famous Red Bull Hanger 7 in Salzburg, Austria.

On campus, CMU Program Board is planning a variety of events this spring.

“Though we are still in the planning phase, students can check our Facebook page for the latest updates,” said Program Board President Paul Sullivan.

This is Sullivan’s second semester as Program Board president and he said he has a positive outlook for entertainment this spring.

“My goal is to accomplish providing good entertainment, but also provide a variety, so that there’s an ability for every student to have an event they want to go to,” the Allen Park senior said.

Students can submit ideas for events to Program Board by either posting on their Facebook page or emailing them at cmu_pb@cmich.edu.

“We are always open to new ideas and will take student ideas into consideration,” said Sullivan.

Program Board isn’t just about entertainment though

“Part of our job is entertaining, but also part of it is getting students to see a different perspective,” said Mark Fairbrother, a Shelby Township junior and Program Board secretary.

Program Board meets on the third floor of the Bovee University Center at 8 p.m. every Wednesday.

“Everyone and anyone is welcome; no fees,” Fairbrother said. “Come when you want and you get to help plan and work events.”

CMU Program Board and Hottest College Parties are co-sponsoring the event and bringing the hip-hop/electronic group to campus. Doors are set to open at 7 p.m. and the show will begin at 8 p.m.

LMFAO has earned significant notoriety since the group formed in 2006, and currently has two songs on the Billboard Top 10 with “Sexy and I Know It” at No. 4 and “Party Rock Anthem” at No. 6. The group will also bring the Quest Crew, winners of the third season of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew, to dance throughout the performance.

Floor seats for the show have sold out, but bleacher and bowl seats are still available for $20 and $30 respectively. Tickets will still be available up until the show and can be purchased at the door for no additional price.

The opening act has been announced to be Chet Haze, a rapper from Northwestern University and the son of actor Tom Hanks and actress Rita Wilson. Haze, born Chester Hanks, performed at Wayside Central, 2000 S. Mission St., last spring as part of the Pre-Glow Electronic Dance Party.

“I had a great time, met a bunch of cool kids, and partied with CMU students,” Haze said. “I’m looking forward to coming back.”

Haze said he considers his music to be “pop rap,” and hopes his performance will be able to get concert-goers dancing.

“It’s just kind of the development of my lane, making music for the girls, music that people can dance to,” Haze said. “I just want to make music that’s ‘feel good,’ that people can play at parties and have good energy.”

Zach Sampson, president of Hottest College Parties, said LMFAO’s set will be between 75 and 90 minutes long.

“I’ve been to LMFAO before and they put on one of the best shows you’ll ever see,” Sampson said.

Hope sophomore Anthony Lazzaro is helping to promote the concert with Hottest College Parties, and said he has been looking forward to the show since the day it was announced. Lazzaro hopes efforts to bus students to the show from other Michigan universities will help sell some of the remaining tickets.

“If you look at (LMFAO’s) tour, they’re performing in places like Las Vegas and New Zealand and then they come to Mount Pleasant, Michigan,” Lazzaro said. “It’s going to be something really special coming to this campus.”

- Senior Reporter Mike Nichols contributed to this report.

The Central Michigan University Program Board decided to change the venue originally scheduled for the CMU Events Center, but the low number of tickets sold could not fill enough of the 5,300 seats available.

Student Activities Coordinator Damon Brown, PB adviser, said the show unfortunately had to move because of low ticket sales. Brown said he felt Plachta Auditorium would be more suitable for the 1,200 individuals who already purchased tickets.

“We didn’t sell enough tickets and had to make a decision in the best interest of everyone going to the show,” Brown said. “We wanted to make sure it would be a good environment for Chris and for people attending the show.”

Brown said he felt the ticket prices did not play a role in the poor sales, and said Chris Tucker performances in different markets generally cost much more to attend.

“I don’t think ticket prices are high by any stretch of imagination with bleacher tickets for only $10,” Brown said. “For those 1,200 people that have tickets, it will be a great show.”

Damon said Plachta Auditorium will be sectioned off to reflect the value of tickets already purchased. For example, those who bought floor seats will have seats closer to the stage reserved.

“Everyone realizes he’s a funny person from ‘Rush Hour’ and his movies, but don’t realize he’s good at stand-up as well,” Sullivan said. “I think it’s going to be exciting to see him live.”

Sullivan, an Allen Park senior, said he is looking forward to the show after checking out some of Tucker’s stand-up routines online.

The Program Board-sponsored event, scheduled for Homecoming weekend, will be held at 8:30 p.m. Saturday in McGuirk Arena.

Tucker, 39, also played roles in the movies “Friday,” “Dead Presidents,” “Money Talks” and “Jackie Brown.” While Tucker is most commonly known for his acting career, he has a history in comedy as well, performing on shows such as “Def Comedy Jam.”

Royal Oak senior Jack Schowalter particularly remembers Tucker for his role as Smokey in the movie “Friday.” Schowalter said he is looking forward to attending the show and thought ticket prices were reasonable.

“In ‘Friday,’ (Chris Tucker) made the movie. (The ‘Friday’ movies) after the first one just weren’t as good because Chris Tucker wasn’t in it,” Schowalter said. “I’ve never seen him perform or anything, so it’s something I’ve really wanted to see for the last month or so.”

Rochester Hills senior Ryan Decker had not seen any of Chris Tucker’s stand-up material but was planning on attending the show on Saturday night. Decker thought ticket prices were steep, but appropriate for a star like Tucker.

“He’s definitely a very funny guy, so I think it will be entertaining,” Decker said. “For college students, it’s kind of a burden to pay so much for (the show) but it’s Chris Tucker, so ticket prices unfortunately have to be high.”

Tickets for the event are not yet sold out and can be purchased at the CMU Events Center. The prices range from $15 to $30 for students and $25 to $40 for the general public.

GAME PREVIEW: The wait is over: CMU opens McGuirk Arena today against Temple

In a release issued by the athletics department on Friday, 300 additional tickets for the Dec. 1 CMU men’s basketball game against Temple will be made available for students beginning 9 a.m. Monday on the concourse level of the Student Activity Center.

The pickup will run until all 300 tickets are dispersed.

About 900 tickets were given out on Nov. 7 during a pep rally sendoff for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. The second pickup took place Tuesday at Finch Fieldhouse during the volleyball team’s first round Mid-American Conference tournament game against Miami University.

And with 30,255 seats, that means there are no tickets or limits on family and friends.

Rose Arena, the previous location for commencement, will not be available because of $21.5 million in renovations, which started Sept. 26, to create the CMU Events Center.

“It is important to know tickets will not be required for the May 2010 graduation ceremony,” said Director of Public Relations Steve Smith. “I would anticipate a larger crowd than usual because there are no limits on the number of family members or friends that would be able to participate.”

Each student was limited to six tickets for family and friends when graduation was split into three ceremonies at Rose Arena in previous years.

With the move, two ceremonies will take place in May. The first ceremony is at 4 p.m. May 7 in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium for 80 doctoral students. The auditorium holds 1,250 people.

The second ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. May 8 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium for graduate and undergraduate students. Smith said there are approximately 3,700 graduate and undergraduate students expected for commencement in May.

Executive Assistant to the president Mary Jane Flanagan said other venues on campus could not hold the capacity of students in addition to the people they want to bring.

She said commencement is predicted to last about two-and-a-half hours to allow time to announce all the graduates’ names.

Rain or shine

Smith said graduation at Kelly/Shorts Stadium will take place, rain or shine.

“The planning and logistics for the May 2010 commencement is still at its very, very early stages,” Smith said.

Texas senior Barron Miles does not have any problem with the change of location except for the “rain or shine” part.

“I don’t like the fact about the rain,” Miles said.

He is not the only one.

“If it rains, I am not going to be happy,” said Three Rivers senior Ashley Rice.

There are still ideas in place about how to make graduation better for May 2010 in case it does rain, Smith said.

“People would be able to bring umbrellas into the stadium with them, which they cannot do for football games,” he said.

Flanagan said the scheduled time for graduation will change, if necessary. She said if the time needs to be pushed back an hour because of weather, it can — the time of day allows flexibility.

Smith said Kelly/Shorts Stadium hosted commencement ceremonies from 1975, when it opened, to 1991.

When graduation was held in Rose Arena, Director of University Recreation Services Stan Shingles said it held about 4,500 after the end of the arena was used for the stage.

Flanagan said the staging for graduation will be similar to the setup of the Rose Arena graduation. The stage and students will be set up on the turn with the stage at the north end, facing toward the south. Parents, family and friends will be sitting in the three sections of the stadium seats.

The first ceremony held in Rose Arena after the renovations and construction are done is December 2010, Smith said.