Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Calvin Harris Set for Spring Concert

Electronic dance musician Calvin Harris will headline the Spring Kickoff Concert in McDonough Arena on April 6, the Georgetown Program Board announced Monday.

Harris was not included in a poll measuring student preferences for artists conducted by GPB in November, despite assurances that an artist from the polling options would be chosen.

The artists in the poll were Afrojack, Alesso, Axwell, Bassnectar and Steve Aoki.

GPB Concerts Chair Jill Robinson (COL ’15) said she was unfamiliar with the results of the poll.

In past years, GPB has polled students without a guarantee that they would be able to book the winner, upsetting students who objected to what they saw as GPB’s disregard of their vote, according to former GPB Concerts Chair William Henderson (MSB ’14). However, Henderson told The Hoya in November that GPB would book the winning artist this year.

“This year, we had the opportunity where whoever won that poll was definitely going to be brought in, so I thought it was worth it to get the students involved,” Henderson said in November.

Robinson said that she was not aware of the guarantees made by her predecessor.

“I wasn’t really involved in that whole process, so I don’t know what promises were made and what they were told at the time,” Robinson said.

Tickets will go on sale online Wednesday at noon. The first 500 tickets are $20, additional presale tickets sold in Red Square will cost $25 and tickets purchased at the door will cost $30. Intern Sushi, a website for students searching for internships, is offering a $5 discount on online tickets for students who sign-up for their site.

Last year, all presale tickets for Wiz Khalifa’s performance at the spring concert cost $20 presale and $25 at the door for students, and in a November interview with The Hoya Henderson said that GPB would try to keep the cost of tickets below $20.

However, Robinson said that, unlike last year, the April 6 concert is open only to students, which contributed to higher ticket prices because non-students traditionally paid higher ticket prices.

“The company that we are working with tries to keep the ticket prices as low as possible, but we were working with them to switch up and get a better headliner, so getting a big name headliner is going to cost more money, so that’s why the ticket prices are increased,” she said.

Harris is known for mixing electronic and pop music genres. After his first album “I Created Disco,” which included such hits as “Acceptable in the ’80s” and “Colours,” the Scottish performer collaborated with such artists as Rihanna in the 10-week Billboard Hot 100 hit “We Found Love” and with Ne-Yo on “Let’s Go.”

Robinson said that she is excited Harris is coming, even though he was not one of the artists on the poll.

“He is a big name that is recognized by people who don’t just listen to [electronic dance music],” Robinson said. “He has the crossover, so I think he appeals to more of the Georgetown population than maybe some of the other DJs that we had on the list originally.”

Robinson said that she does not think that the GPB will conduct a poll again with specific artists’ names, but instead may use a poll to assess students’ genre preferences in the future.

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