Popular alternative rock band Guster will perform the Homecoming concert in the Sunken Garden Saturday, Oct. 27. The annual concert, sponsored by UCAB, has been a popular event for both alumni and current students. The concert will also feature Brett Dennen, a California native and indie folk artist, who will open for Guster.
p. UCAB had been considering inviting Guster to the College for last year’s spring concert, but instead reached an agreement that brought My Chemical Romance and Muse to Kaplan Arena. Junior Kate Matthews, a member of the UCAB music committee, said that a main goal of the organization was to attract a variety of bands and to alternate genres of music between concerts. Recent on-campus concerts have included The Wailers, Wilco, The Roots, My Chemical Romance and Nappy Roots. Guster also performed the spring concert in April 2002.
p. “We’re trying to satisfy different groups on campus,” Matthews said. “You want to switch it up as much as possible.”
p. Guster will play in the Sunken Garden as part of a larger Southern tour that includes performances in Raleigh, N.C., Athens, Ga. and Richmond. According to Assistant Director of Student Activities Joe Lowder, who works as an adviser to UCAB and as a liaison between the school and various entertainment agencies and artists, the College got a “great deal on the band.”
p. “UCAB had been looking at Guster hot and heavy in the spring,” Lowder said. “And it just so happened that they were looking for a Virginia date in October.” He also said that UCAB used several key tools to discover what bands would be popular with students, including music interest searches on Facebook. On the College’s Facebook network, 350 students list Guster as one of their favorite bands.
p. “We thought Guster would be a great homecoming band,” Matthews said. “They have a big fan base on campus and appeal to alumni and students alike.”
p. The show is free and welcome to all, although UCAB is not advertising the show outside of the campus community.