Letter to the Editor: One-hit wonders don’t belong

Posted on February 4, 2008

University Program Board unveiled another concert on the commons Thursday, and the announcement was met with a mixture of polite applause and palpable disappointment. Though by this point, it probably came as little surprise to UPB.

I was one of the many who heard rumors earlier this week about the possibility of T-Pain doing the spring Convocation Center show. I disregarded this rumor for two reasons. First, I’ve heard the ridiculous rumors about Dave Matthews at Bridgeforth Stadium, Dane Cook in Wilson, and Van Halen reunions in TDU. Second, it can’t be possible that the members of UPB are that out of touch with JMU.

I fill out those fliers, normally more than one, about whom we would pay to see, and how much we would be willing to pay. I was a sophomore before I read the fine print at the bottom that essentially says, “We don’t really care.”

We love R&B but we’re tired of flavor-of-the-week acts that come to JMU. T-Pain is just another one-hit wonder added to the list of Gym Class Heroes and Motion City Soundtrack who have come in the past two years. This is JMU’s centennial year and that excuse has justified countless luncheons and galas for the higher-ups at the university.

The Centennial students only want two things: an awesome spring show and an awesome graduation speaker. UPB failed at the first, making me think that money is instead going to be spent getting Justin Timberlake to speak at graduation. Get it together, UPB, or get used to handing tickets out at the door.

John Farris
senior English major