University of Northern Iowa students are no longer a ‘thousand miles away’ from seeing a certain band in concert. Students have the opportunity to see the Plain White T’s, best known for their 2006 hit song “Hey There Delilah,” in concert on Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. at the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center (GBPAC).
This event is free for students and they are encouraged to grab their tickets as soon as possible. Tickets are currently available to UNI students and will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
The concert is being presented by the Campus Activities Board (CAB) for their annual fall concert. CAB has been bringing artists to come to UNI to perform for students for several years.
The tradition of different artists performing at UNI started in the 2000s, when a club called Panther Productions was created. They were the organization that hosted concerts on campus until the group merged with CAB around 2012. CAB has been bringing artists to campus ever since.
The process of selecting an artist each year takes months of planning. This past year, CAB advisor Josh Bulton sent out a survey after both semesters to each student who attended a CAB event, and asked what kind of music they would like to see on campus and if they had any suggestions for certain artists. The executive board members took this data and determined a list of about 20 bands/artists. Bulton and the members then worked with Eli Gorbette, an agent from Event Resources Presents, to determine availability and the cost of artists. From there, the board members narrowed down the list to three or five artists and sent out a form for CAB members to rank their favorites.
“So it’s a little bit more student choice, even though it’s just our organization. It’s not just five people picking, it’s about 30 of us,” Kate Rogers, promotional director, said.
The selection of artists is done by the students and Bulton helps assist them.
“My approach is often to ask prompting questions to help the CAB students determine what the student body wants and what would be successful. Once we have a decision, I work with the executive team and our agent, Eli Gorbette, to create an offer and begin the process of planning the concert,” Bulton said.
This event differs from a normal CAB event as there are a lot more details that need to be worked out beforehand. The event is also an ‘all call’ event for CAB members which means every member needs to attend and help in order to make the concert run smoothly.
For the fall concert, the board members are mainly involved with getting the details figured out for the day of the event and interacting with the artists.
“I always look forward to the CAB team interacting with them a little bit backstage. You get to see who these people are,” Jeff Carlson, collaboration director, said.
Carlson and Finance Director Lydia Kernen handle more day-of operations for the concert. Rogers is involved with promoting the event, such as posting on social media, hanging up posters, tabling for the event, and so on. President Jaye Haines and Membership Development Director Chase Sternhagen are more involved with coordinating with Bulton and the group. All of the work done by the board members goes toward making sure the day of the concert runs smoothly.
“It’s like a strict schedule, like setup and soundcheck. We have to get them (the artists) food, we have to make their green room…Every artist has their different requests so that sort of changes our day each time,” Haines said.
Most artists request snacks or special tea to help their throats before they sing. Some more unusual requests from the past couple years have included hummus, two pillows, and towels.
The CAB members plan for the concert in great detail but sometimes the more memorable moments do not take place until they are happening during the concert. Sometimes artists do not tell the CAB team they are planning to do something special, and if they do it is usually on the day of the event. Last year the CAB team did not realize Jax would bring people onstage. The board members also gifted her with a UNI sweatshirt before the concert, but they did not know that she would wear it throughout the concert.
“It’s fun. It keeps us on our toes and keeps us prepared,” Rogers said.
The board members are looking forward to the concert and the variety of songs the Plain White T’s will play.
“I would say they bring a different type of music to the plate. That’s always exciting to get different people involved…we would like to see it (CAB concerts) expand to more students who like that type of music,” Haines said.
Although most students probably know the band from their song “Hey There Delilah,” the Plain White T’s have created other music that students may already know and could be some of their favorite songs.
“I started relistening and there’s a bunch of songs I knew that I didn’t know they sang,” Carlson said.
UNI students can get their tickets for the concert online through UNITIX at https://www.gbpac.com/box-office. They can also get them at the in-person GBPAC ticket office. This office is temporarily located in the Strayer Wood Theatre.
