Those organizing B.o.B’s upcoming concert at Ohio University searched far and wide for an opening act, and they have finally settled on the Far East.
Far East Movement, the emcees behind hit singles “Like a G6” and “Rocketeer,” will open for the Grammy-nominated rapper May 20 at The Convo.
“We think they’ll bring a lot of excitement to the show,” said Emily Koenig, concerts co-chair for the University Program Council and a senior studying creative writing. “We’re pretty excited to have them on board.”
Pre-sale tickets for the much-anticipated event — the first concert at The Convo since Michelle Branch and Jason Mraz in 2004 — will be available to OU students from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium’s ticket office. With an OU ID, students can purchase up to four tickets in person.
For the general public, tickets will go on sale in person, online and via phone at noon Monday, April 11. The show will cost $55 for floor seats, $35 for seats in the lower bowl and $25 for all other seats.
Sponsoring organizations — UPC, the Performing Arts Series, the Black Student Cultural Programming Board and the Campus Involvement Center — will collectively pay $27,500 to bring the group to The Convo, in addition to roughly $55,000 for B.o.B’s contract, said Andrew Holzaepfel, associate director of the Campus Involvement Center and booking agent for the Performing Arts Series.
After scheduling conflicts prompted artists such as Matt and Kim, OK Go and Mike Posner to turn down the opening slot, Los Angeles electro-hop quartet Far East Movement officially accepted the offer late Friday night. It took about 10 days of negotiations to make sure the group, which will not be on tour at the time of the show, would be able to free up the May 20 date, Holzaepfel said.
B.o.B and Far East Movement also have the same agent, which helped facilitate the transaction, Holzaepfel added.
While UPC scoured a lengthy list of artists in the $25,000-$35,000 price range, Far East Movement was “definitely in the running the whole time” as a possible opening act, Koenig said.
“This week, we wanted to be sure that we could have it nailed down and (begin) ticket sales as soon as possible,” said Koenig, who found out via text message that the group accepted the offer yesterday morning. “After all the scheduling conflicts, we were just happy to hear that they were able to come.”
With the announcement of B.o.B’s opener, however, plans to possibly add a local warm-up act to the bill have been halted for now.
“We’re considering adding a DJ on, but that will depend on what the other two artists want,” Holzaepfel said.
Formed in 2003, Far East Movement earned its first No. 1 single in October with the double-platinum “Like a G6,” making it the first Asian-American group to score a top 10 hit. Known for its unique musical fusion of electronica and hip-hop with international influences, the quartet has opened for illustrious acts such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Robyn. Far East Movement’s latest album, Free Wired, features collaborations with Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic and Keri Hilson, as well as Snoop Dogg, who appears on the group’s newest single, “If I Was You (OMG).”
“We knew they obviously have had some popular singles recently, and it’s going to contribute to a very high-energy show,” Holzaepfel said. “I think they’re going to be a great draw.”
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