High ticket sales for the My Chemical Romance and Muse spring concert have given UCAB’s members reason to smile, the concert’s organizers said Wednesday.
p. According to senior Emmagene Worley, UCAB’s Music Committee Chair, the group has sold over 1,000 student tickets for the show, while Ticketmaster has sold several thousand public tickets.
p. “Sales started out fantastic — all-time highs. We would really like to sell out all the student tickets to make this the biggest show we’ve had in a really long time,” Worley said in an e-mail.
p. Joe Lowder, the College administrator who worked with UCAB to help bring MCR and Muse, is also pleased with the results. As assistant director of College activities, he helped facilitate the deal between UCAB and the AEG/Artshow, the company that is bringing MCR/Muse to campus.
p. “The biggest concert here in the recent past was Wilco last year, which was just short of 3,000 attendees, so already having 4,000 tickets sold is a great sign. UCAB should be pleased,” Lowder said in an e-mail.
p. “Ticket sales are already at levels we have never seen before, but there are 8,000 available,” he said. Around 1,200 students tickets remained last week.
p. Both Worley and Lowder stressed the importance of a successful show in attracting big names to the College in the future.
p. “If we can get a significant portion of the student body to buy tickets, it would make attracting big name concerts so much easier,” Worley said. “Artists would begin to view the College as the kind of venue they want to play, and then it would make getting more and bigger acts easier.”
p. According to Lowder, future big-name concerts at the College will be a “business decision” based on this show’s success.
p. “It is all market based,” he said. “If [AEG/Artshow] sees this is a good market for live music, they will probably want to come back.”
p. Worley said that she was happy to book high-profile acts like Muse and My Chemical Romance.
p. “Muse is one of the top acts in Europe and sold out Wembley Stadium [on] two nights. Not to mention that My Chemical Romance brings the best light, sound, video and pyrotechnics show we will have ever had here at William and Mary. Even if a student is not the biggest My Chemical Romance fan, this show has a lot to offer,” Lowder said.
p. He praised the band and said that by attending the concert students are increasing the likelihood for high-quality bands at future College concerts.
p. “They both put on unforgettable live shows, complete with all sorts of theatrics combined with great musicianship,” Worley said.
p. “What better way to help make a difference in the quality of entertainment at the College than attending a quality concert? This show is going to be spectacular,” she added.
p. The My Chemical Romance and Muse show is at 8:00 p.m. April 28. Student tickets are $16 and are available at the Kaplan Arena box office from 8:30 to 5:00 p.m. daily until they sell out.