The Joyce Center Arena will be filled students from Notre Dame, Saint Mary's and Holy Cross tonight to see multi-platinum rock band Good Charlotte and the lesser-known rap duo The Cool Kids at The Show 2008.
Junior Matt Barloh, the chairman for The Show 2008, told the Observer via e-mail that: "The Show 2008 is special because, in Good Charlotte, it has a headliner with greater name recognition than any other performer in the history of The Show."
The Cool Kids, a hip-hop duo with a 1980s style, are "the next great" hip-hop artists, Barloh said. According to The Show press release, they have collaborated with chart-topping rapper Lil' Wayne and were labeled one of Rolling Stone's Top 10 Artists to Watch in 2008.
The Show has a history of bringing up-and-coming artists to campus in recent years. Last year's lineup featured OK Go and rapper Lupe Fiasco.
The Cool Kids are "more of an obscure band," freshman Mary McAllister said. "I've never heard their music, but I've heard good things about them."
Freshman Anne Whitty said she was aware of The Show's reputation as the biggest concert of the year.
McAllister and Whitty said all of their friends are planning on going to The Show, which is a big draw.
"If they're going, I'm going," Whitty said.
The Show 2008 committee, which has been planning the concert for the past five months, believes the acts will appeal to the student body as a whole, Barloh said.
"Obviously, you can't please everyone," he said. "There will always be a vocal minority that abhors the headliner you choose ... But the positive reactions we've received heavily outweigh the negative reactions both in number and in enthusiasm."
On Thursday, the exact number of tickets sold so far was not calculated; however, Barloh expects a big turnout.
The committee should predict a sell-out, he said, "otherwise they're not booking the right kinds of bands."
Tickets cost $10, a figure that is possible thanks to donations, Barloh said.
"The generous donations that Father Mark Poorman and the Office of Student Affairs make every year allow us to book top-tier talent and still offer tickets to the student body at the most-affordable price possible," he said.
The Show 2008 is going green this year, putting a greater emphasis on electronic marketing, reducing the amount of paper advertisements like posters and fliers, Barloh said. He does not expect this to negatively affect turnout.
"We believe the enthusiasm for Good Charlotte and The Cool Kids will allow us to organize a very popular, very successful concert even without as many posters and fliers," he said.
Other changes to make the concert more environmentally friendly include serving organic and locally grown food to the performers, production crew and The Show 2008's many volunteers.
The T-shirts for The Show 2008 were made from organic cotton and printed with soy ink, and tickets and posters were printed on recycled paper.
The most extravagant change made to the concert this year is the use of a state-of-the-art LED lighting system, which will consume 60 percent less energy than conventional lighting rigs, according to the press release.
All of these changes equals a much more costly concert, Barloh said.
"It was more expensive to produce a 'green' concert," he said. "However, it is important for The Show to become something more than just a great concert. In the years ahead, it must serve to enrich Notre Dame's already-storied history of bettering our world."
Doors open at the Joyce Center tonight at 7 p.m.
Tickets will be available at the Box Office in LaFortune. A valid Notre Dame, Saint Mary's or Holy Cross ID is required for purchase. Tickets will also be available at the door.
