If you assume the auditorium in Old Cabell Hall only hosts symphonies and orchestras and is frequented only by the most highly cultured residents of Charlottesville, think again. Tonight, Old Cabell will be grooving to the sounds of none other than musical superstar Citizen Cope.
Citizen Cope's visit to U.Va. was made possible thanks to the University Programs Council's PKG Concerts committee. This committee is responsible for organizing the Citizen Cope show and three other events throughout the year, including Springfest. Though Charlottesville plays host to several major concert venues (the Charlottesville Pavilion, John Paul Jones Arena, the Paramount, etc.), $30 to $100 a pop for concert tickets may not be feasible for many students. PKG attempts to remedy this problem by bringing popular artists to Grounds at lower prices.
"There's been a lot of talk about the future of us being able to bring concerts here because there are so many different venues to see concerts and so many bands are coming to Charlottesville all the time," said fourth-year Commerce student Steve Vorlop, head of the PKG Concerts Committee. "So our goal is really to provide musical entertainment that is interesting to the students, stuff that people want to see, but is also affordable."
The group has been quite successful at this in the past. Three of their four events last year offered free admission for U.Va. students, and this week's show will only set students back a measly $8 -- less than the price of your average dinner on the Corner.
A major part of UPC's job includes figuring out exactly which artists U.Va. students want to see most in concert and which of those artists could legitimately be booked. Interestingly enough, Facebook is one of UPC's biggest tools in deciphering which artists could fit the bill.
UPC has compiled a list of more than 1,000 bands that students list in the "Favorite Music" section of their profiles. From there, the group narrows their options to five candidates and creates a survey about the options for committee members to distribute. After that, the committee votes based on the results.
If ticket sales are any indication, Citizen Cope was certainly an appropriate choice. Student response for the show was incredibly high, with the event selling out in just more than two days.
"We were really hoping the show would sell out, but we didn't know it would happen so quickly," Vorlop said. "That's also in large part thanks to the show's event coordinator Maggie McArthur, who was responsible for the event's marketing."
It's not surprising that student demand has been so high, as Cope's music is incredibly contemporary and appealing to young people in general. Clarence Greenwood, the man behind the Citizen Cope persona, fails to conform to one specific genre of music. Instead, Greenwood crosses the boundaries of rock, hip-hop, blues and (in his more recent work) a little bit of folk.
While Greenwood is the sole permanent member of Citizen Cope, he normally performs with a band backing him. This Thursday, however, Greenwood will perform not just solo but acoustically; this style differs greatly from the manner in which he normally plays.
The show will be a great opportunity to see Citizen Cope in a unique way not just because of the acoustic/solo aspect of the show, but also the venue. Old Cabell Hall is a place that very much embodies the spirit of U.Va., and Cope's performance is one of the few concerts UPC has organized to take place on Grounds.
"We don't do a lot of shows that are this much on-Grounds," Vorlop said. "I mean, it doesn't get much more on-Grounds than Old Cabell Hall. To see [Citizen Cope] in a room that is not only so close to everyone but also great acoustically is a really good [deal]."
With a stellar ticket price, a talented and popular performer and a killer location, UPC seems to have hit a home run with the Citizen Cope show. But if you, like me, missed out on the opportunity to buy tickets while they were still available, fear not -- UPC will continue to plan events for students at affordable prices throughout the year.
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