The Student Programming Council (SPC) announced last week that the Eli Young Band would be performing at this year’s Fall Band Party, which will be held next Monday, Oct. 29. The country group is known for its impressive vocal talent and has earned several Country Music Awards. Members of SPC say that they booked the band in an effort to diversify the types of musicians that come to campus for concerts.
While we appreciate SPC’s attempt to branch away from the usual hip-hop and rap artists, we fear for the success of next Monday’s concert. Firstly, we question the timing of the event, which will be held on a Monday evening. Although this year’s concert won’t be the same sort of party atmosphere that might otherwise surround the Fall Band Party, Mondays are often inconvenient evenings to hold a concert. Students most certainly will have homework to do that night and must attend class the next morning. These responsibilities stand as significant disincentives to potential concertgoers.
Second, we feel that SPC’s decision to bring a country band to campus has the potential to dissuade a large portion of Emory students that might otherwise go to the Fall Band Party. Country is a particularly divisive and polarizing genre of music, and we fear that SPC’s decision to book the Eli Young Band will cause a rift in the Emory community. Although not all students will have rap or alternative songs on their iPods, most can appreciate the concert atmosphere of these genres. On the other hand, we believe that most students tend to take a strong stance either for or against country music.
Of course, the success of the concert remains to be seen and, perhaps, this year’s Fall Band Party will set a precedent for years to come. This year’s concert will have a different atmosphere than in years past, and we are interested to see how the Emory Community will respond to the changes.
The above staff editorial represents the majority opinion of the Wheel editorial board
The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.
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