In "Spring Concert," (Mar. 29), you voiced your disappointment in SUB's selection of bands for the 2011 spring concert. It seems to me that your argument rested on two points: the ability of other universities, such as IU, to attract better acts, and the lack of talent of O.A.R. and Chiddy Bang. Indiana University Bloomington has over 42,000 students. With this amount of students they can fill arenas that so called "better acts" expect, and more importantly they have more money to work with which allows them to put on more concerts. We have about 11,000 students here. That's roughly four times less than IU, so it makes sense that we only have the money to put on one concert instead of four.
You state that O.A.R. is a "wannabe Dave Matthews Band." Just because the two bands have been placed into the same genre does not mean they warrant this label. Do you call every rapper a wannabe Dr. Dre or Jay-Z? O.A.R. consistently headlines U.S. tours. For some people, they have become just as much a part of the summer concert series as DMB or Kenny Chesney. And just because they have gone mainstream doesn't mean they have lost any of their talent. Both members of Chiddy Bang are the same age as I am, 20. I'd say they have some talent. You say Chiddy Bang is a "second-rate rapper" and then call the cancellation of the Sam Adams concert a "music debacle." I hope you are not insinuating that Sam Adams is a first-rate rapper.
O.A.R. and Chiddy Bang are both very talented acts and I think that SUB did a great job in getting them to come play at Notre Dame. I just wish, as does Pat McKillen in "Stepan not fit for acts," (Mar. 30) that the show could be put on in a better venue — namely one that would allow more than 1000 people to attend the show making it more enjoyable for the audience and performers. Oh, and Greg — Dave Matthews Band has played at the University of Notre Dame before. They played on December 5, 1996. At the JACC.
Andrew Bolka
junior
Keenan Hall
Mar. 30