In case you haven’t heard the big news yet, let me tell you: e.t.k. has cancelled the Large Event this year in order to conserve funds and a bigger name for next year. On the surface, this seems like a bad idea. It is because a) the one recognizable name that finds out where Waverly, IA is each year won’t be coming and b) it makes the fact that Luther booked fun. this year makes Wartburg look even worse. But like every bad situation, there is always a silver lining and this year off from the Large Event could be the best thing needed to make the tradition relevant again.
E.t.k has given themselves a year to go back to the drawing board and rethink about the way they approach the Large Event. They need to think about the word not in context of the popularity of the artist it selects, but in terms of the experience of the Large Event (or really any live event) overall. If e.t.k takes into consideration these steps, the Large Event will be well on its way to becoming one of the most popular things on campus again.
The Artist
Over the past four years, these have been the people selected for the Large Event: David Cook, Seth Myers, Chingy, Javier Colon. Look at that those four again. Only two of those people have legitimate star power among the masses (Seth Myers is a stretch). Chingy is a meddling rapper that only performed because Travie McCoy backed out at the last minute. McCoy is more popular and more talented than Chingy, but certainly wouldn’t have sold out Neumann like e.t.k. wants every year.
One of the only ways of getting students to come back to this event is to get music that college kids listen to and that is primarily one thing: electronic/dubstep. If you go to any club or bar outside Waverly that young people hang out at, the beats of David Guetta, Avicii, and deadmau5 will certainly be playing. There is no way of avoiding it. If you ask any 10 students on Wartburg’s campus if they like electronic/dubstep, 9 out of 10 will say yes. I guarantee it.
There will be no shortage of affordable quality artists to choose from. Wartburg may not have the funding for the big guns like Skrillex, Avicii, or deadmau5 but you can get a pretty good one if you do a little research. Start with the biggest music festivals this summer like Spring Awakening and Lollapalooza. If you look at the lineups for SA and Perry’s (Lolla’s exclusive techno stage), you will find 5 good artists for every bad one. I’m just throwing out ideas here, but Calvin Harris of “Forcefield” fame, NERO, and Bassnectar are all good DJs that could fit for the Large Event.
Location
In order to maximize the fun of having a techno act, there needs to be the maximum amount of space available for people to grind and what not. Neither Neumann or the Lyceum presents an ideal place for a massive crowd to dance and move around. (We’re not just going to sit in our seats and bob our heads to the beat, right?) The only option is to move the Large Event outside.
Change might seem like a totally radical idea at Wartburg, but this one’s for the better. (I promise.) The Large Event will place on the football field. Why? It is the biggest open space on campus that is accessible to all and supports all kinds of people. If students are tired of dancing and just want to sit down and enjoy the show, they have the choice to go up into the bleachers and soak in the fun from there. People might want to lay on blankets in the far end zone and just talk. And the partiers will have their spot right in front of the stage. Everybody wins. Now for the hardest part…
The Stage
This is the trickiest part of my otherwise perfect plan. Building a stage or finding one that would fit the needs of the artist and a stellar light show is difficult. I am not an engineer or a carpenter, but I know that finding a stage that big is difficult. I have faith in Neumann crew to come through if this dream were to become a reality. Neumann Auditorium would be the ideal place to hold a good Large Event but building a stage outside would make it unforgettable. If there’s a way this can happen, please let it.
The Large Event has been one of the most disappointing parts of the Wartburg experience over the past few years to the point that students don’t trust the school to bring in anybody good. The year off is a time to reevaluate what they’ve done wrong recently. I know budget issues always restrict what you can do with the Large Event, but simple creative thinking can make it a memorable event again. I just hope that e.t.k. can do the right things to get it done.
E.t.k has given themselves a year to go back to the drawing board and rethink about the way they approach the Large Event. They need to think about the word not in context of the popularity of the artist it selects, but in terms of the experience of the Large Event (or really any live event) overall. If e.t.k takes into consideration these steps, the Large Event will be well on its way to becoming one of the most popular things on campus again.
The Artist
Over the past four years, these have been the people selected for the Large Event: David Cook, Seth Myers, Chingy, Javier Colon. Look at that those four again. Only two of those people have legitimate star power among the masses (Seth Myers is a stretch). Chingy is a meddling rapper that only performed because Travie McCoy backed out at the last minute. McCoy is more popular and more talented than Chingy, but certainly wouldn’t have sold out Neumann like e.t.k. wants every year.
One of the only ways of getting students to come back to this event is to get music that college kids listen to and that is primarily one thing: electronic/dubstep. If you go to any club or bar outside Waverly that young people hang out at, the beats of David Guetta, Avicii, and deadmau5 will certainly be playing. There is no way of avoiding it. If you ask any 10 students on Wartburg’s campus if they like electronic/dubstep, 9 out of 10 will say yes. I guarantee it.
There will be no shortage of affordable quality artists to choose from. Wartburg may not have the funding for the big guns like Skrillex, Avicii, or deadmau5 but you can get a pretty good one if you do a little research. Start with the biggest music festivals this summer like Spring Awakening and Lollapalooza. If you look at the lineups for SA and Perry’s (Lolla’s exclusive techno stage), you will find 5 good artists for every bad one. I’m just throwing out ideas here, but Calvin Harris of “Forcefield” fame, NERO, and Bassnectar are all good DJs that could fit for the Large Event.
Location
In order to maximize the fun of having a techno act, there needs to be the maximum amount of space available for people to grind and what not. Neither Neumann or the Lyceum presents an ideal place for a massive crowd to dance and move around. (We’re not just going to sit in our seats and bob our heads to the beat, right?) The only option is to move the Large Event outside.
Change might seem like a totally radical idea at Wartburg, but this one’s for the better. (I promise.) The Large Event will place on the football field. Why? It is the biggest open space on campus that is accessible to all and supports all kinds of people. If students are tired of dancing and just want to sit down and enjoy the show, they have the choice to go up into the bleachers and soak in the fun from there. People might want to lay on blankets in the far end zone and just talk. And the partiers will have their spot right in front of the stage. Everybody wins. Now for the hardest part…
The Stage
This is the trickiest part of my otherwise perfect plan. Building a stage or finding one that would fit the needs of the artist and a stellar light show is difficult. I am not an engineer or a carpenter, but I know that finding a stage that big is difficult. I have faith in Neumann crew to come through if this dream were to become a reality. Neumann Auditorium would be the ideal place to hold a good Large Event but building a stage outside would make it unforgettable. If there’s a way this can happen, please let it.
The Large Event has been one of the most disappointing parts of the Wartburg experience over the past few years to the point that students don’t trust the school to bring in anybody good. The year off is a time to reevaluate what they’ve done wrong recently. I know budget issues always restrict what you can do with the Large Event, but simple creative thinking can make it a memorable event again. I just hope that e.t.k. can do the right things to get it done.