Baker University Center rejected Grammy-nominated indie-rock band Arcade Fire's request to play a free show in the Grand Ballroom this Sunday, but organizers say the group is still coming to the Athens area.
The acclaimed Canadian band had tried to schedule a show at Ohio University to promote the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, but Obama campaigners were told yesterday that university organizers didn't have time to get ready.
Late last night, the Obama campaign was still working out the details of bringing the band to Athens through a non-university venue, said Chris Farrell, regional director of the Barack Obama campaign in Southeast Ohio. Farrell said the band was definitely coming, but organizers were working out the details of where it might play and what the show might cost.
We can say for sure that the band will be performing in Athens on Sunday
but we will announce the venue later Farrell said, adding that 250 VIP tickets, distributed one per person, would be available for free from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday at an Obama booth in front of the Athens County Court of Common Pleas.
The Major Events Committee rejected the band's request to play in Baker yesterday, said committee chair and director of campus life Anne Lombard.
It was the general consensus of the committee that we didn't have time to produce this show with only two business days to prepare Lombard said.
Baker usually has six to eight weeks to prepare for big events, she said, adding that the center is understaffed and has several other events scheduled for the weekend.
It was a tough call
but we just had no time to organize
she said.
Lombard recommended some alternative locations outside campus, she said.
Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville would definitely book the band for Sunday, said executive director Tim Peacock.
We would jump through whatever hoops necessary to bring them here
he said, adding that the popular band would easily fill the 450-seat auditorium of the opera house.
Graduate student Jonathan Nelson said he was impressed by an Arcade Fire concert in Chicago over the summer.
It's incredible that Baker said no
even though I can understand the concerns
Nelson said. I definitely think a lot of people will come out
especially for a free show.
Arcade Fire has been prevalent in the music world since their album Funeral was released in 2004. Since then, the band has appeared on Saturday Night Live and was featured on the cover of the Canada edition of Time Magazine.
The band's lead singer, Win Butler, announced the band's support for Obama on a post in his blog.
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