Guster to perform at Convo show
By Amanda Wilson, contributing writer
Posted on September 7, 2006

In response to the band’s high interest level shown in JMU campus surveys for the past three years, the University Program Board has chosen Guster to perform at the Fall Convocation Show.

Tickets are $22 with JAC Card. There is a two-ticket-per-person limit with the discounted price. For floor seats and public seats, tickets are $28 each.

Guster has been in the top five most popular choices of JMU campus surveys since 2003, demonstrating that a number of students are fans. Senior Chris Beach, the director of Center Stage, a UPB committee that organizes, promotes and books music events in the Convocation Center and Wilson Hall, feels that Guster is a very strong choice. “We’re bringing JMU exactly what they want,” said Beach.

Last fall’s Convocation Show featured Motion City Soundtrack along with Phantom Planet and the Julianna Theory. The show was not as successful as it was anticipated to be, a fact Beach attributes to the fact that these bands were new and upcoming. Beach believes that the Guster show will generate a larger turnout than last year’s show. “We’ve learned to be more aware of what the campus wants,” said Beach.

The process for getting Guster to perform at JMU’s Fall Convocation Show started in the beginning of the summer. Beach began researching after exam week in May, and continued to work on the details over the summer. Beach worked with an agent at More Music group in Virginia Beach who helped facilitate booking the band. 

The process Beach went through involved looking at the availability of Guster in comparison with the availability of the Convocation Center, as well as deciding if the general cost of the show was affordable. Funding an act like Guster costs between $30,000 and $45,000.

Janine Morrison, a sophomore who saw Guster perform over the summer, was impressed by their live performance. “They have incredible harmonies and have an awesome sound. I’m really glad they’re coming,” she said.

The UPB Board’s directors and the Center Stage committee will work together to successfully execute the show, which will be held Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Sept. 12 at the Warren Hall Box Office.