Breaking news is always fun.
So when Ohio University’s top Student Affairs official tweeted yesterday morning that Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa will headline this spring’s concert in The Convo, you could feel a certain energy suddenly injected into our newsroom.
But for those who are relatively new to OU, they are incapable of appreciating how monumental the announcement is.
For that, you’ve got to look at the news in the context of OU’s history of bringing in primarily young and old acts — usually striking out when it comes to landing musicians and bands who are at the top of the charts.
When Wiz was last in Athens, it was Sibs Weekend 2010 and he was a relatively unheard of opening act for Mario. (Yes, that Mario.) The year before, our Sibs Weekend act was Brandy. (Yes, that Brandy.)
The deck is stacked against OU. Athens is far out of the way from most acts doing cross-country tours and is, at best, at least an hour and a half away from any pre-existing tour stop.
Meanwhile, with a limited entertainment budget, OU administrators have often chosen to go with less-well-known acts to avoid the astronomical ticket prices that would come with bringing Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber to Athens. (But may the record state that I would pay top dollar to see Biebs perform “One Time” in The Convo.)
When we landed The Fray, in 2005, it was a full year before they’d drop “How to Save a Life,” and when the Goo Goo Dolls played at Mem Aud last year, it had been almost 13 years since we all suffered through our first awkward slow dance to “Iris.”
It was a fact of life. Athens gets acts that are the next big thing, or who have lost superstar status long ago.
At least, that was the case until last year.
Thanks to strategic planning and tons of coordination between the Division of Student Affairs, Student Senate, the University Program Council, the Campus Involvement Center, and the Black Student Cultural Programing Board, OU has figured out how to finance top-of-the-line acts without breaking the bank.
That’s due, in part, to creative financing masterminded by the Campus Involvement Center. Current Student Senate President Kyle Triplett also deserves credit. When running for election, he made it clear that bringing top talent to OU this spring would be a priority.
Even if you’re not a huge “Black and Yellow” fan, the consistent booking of major acts is a significant step toward cementing OU as something more than the younger sibling of that school in Columbus for many in-state students. Though it seems trivial, no longer having to make the 90-minute trek to Columbus for top-notch entertainment is important to many students.
I’m not the biggest Wiz fan, but there’s no doubt I’ll be in line for a ticket once they go on sale — even if we can’t land Bieber as the opening act.
Wesley Lowery is a senior studying journalism and editor-in-chief of The Post. Email him at wl372808@ohiou.edu.
