Remember when Kanye West came to UMB’s campus to put on a show in 2006? Yea, I don’t remember it either. In fact freshmen, sophomores and juniors at UMB have never had the opportunity to attend a concert on campus. That will change on May 4th when Far East Movement and J Cole come to the Clark Center to perform. For the concert-starved student who has been hearing about shows at Northeastern and UMass Amherst, this is a godsend. UMB has not had very many concerts, a fact that is definitely attributed to the small amount of students that live near campus. Even so this show is sure to be the biggest student event of the year and the SAEC has worked tirelessly to make it possible.
When asked if it was a good idea to have a big show on campus senior Kara Wooten said, “Yea, we should have a concert… We deserve it, why not? Every school has a concerts.” Senior Laura Bizek agrees, “Yeah, I would definitely go” she continued, “It depends on my work schedule but I’d go just to check it out.” The Mass Media asked students what they think about UMB holding a concert, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Every student asked said they would go, and that having a concert is a great benefit to the university. It didn’t matter whether or not they lived here or commuted, they all said that it was a great opportunity to see friends and have fun on campus.
As for the acts themselves, Far East Movement is a group that exploded on the scene in 2010 with their smash single “Like A G6.” The song has received an amazing amount of plays both on the radio stations and in many clubs. It is a mix of typical club music and modern pop. The song spread like wildfire, it was number 1 on iTunes for over a month, their popularity is undeniable.
A Far East Movement show is probably closer to a blue man group performance than a hip-hop show; it is a dazzling spectacle of light and includes elaborate dancing from the four members. Far East Movement is not a one hit wonder; they have struck gold on tracks such as “Rocketeer” and “Two Is Better.” Far East Movement is not to be missed, and they’ll be lighting up the Clark Center in what is sure to be a great time.
The headlining act will be J Cole. Cole is a young rapper who has really been making a name for himself on college campuses and in the music industry. He is best known for being the first artist signed to Jay Z’s Roc Nation label. J last played in Boston at the 94.5 Monster Jam in the TD Garden. J’s best known track is “Who Dat” and he has also found success with “Simba” and “Show Me something”.
Although he is yet to release a studio album Cole has released his mix tape “The Come Up”. “The Come Up was released shortly after Cole graduated magna cum laude from St. John’s. where he received an academic scholarship. Cole was featured on Jay Z’s “A Star Is Born”. Cole spent much of 2010 opening for Jay Z on his world tour, and he is expected to release his debut album later this year. He’ll stop by UMB on May 4th to tear up the Clark Center
Tickets go on sale Tuesday at 10 AM in front of the Campus Center Caferteria and they are expected to go fast so don’t wait until the last minute. For more information on Far East Movement visit http://www.fareastmovement.com/
For more information on J Cole go to http://www.jcolemusic.com/
By The Numbers
$10.00 per ticket
4 is the maximum amount of tickets a student can purchase
3000 tickets available
$20,000.00 is the cost to SAEC for the show
6:30 PM is when the first act (Far East Movement) goes on
The Show Is May 4th
100% of students polled said they show is a great idea and they would attend