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Friday, March 29, 2024
The Observer

Cher Lloyd, Jesse McCartney to perform at annual SUB concert

This Saturday, the Student Union Board (SUB) is hosting its yearly spring concert, a performance that will feature Cher Lloyd and Jesse McCartney in Stepan Center.

Senior Brianna Leon, co-director of programming for SUB, said the spring concert is the largest concert the organization puts on each year, so there are more resources and opportunities to bring in bigger name acts.

“Since Stepan accommodates a much larger crowd than the venues for any other shows held throughout the year, [the concert is] a unique opportunity to gather a large portion of the student body together for one event, celebrating the end of another year,” Leon said.

Leon said the doors of Stepan Center will open at 8:30 p.m., and the show will start at 9 p.m.



Goo Goo Dolls
Kevin Song | The Observer
Kevin Song | The Observer
The Goo Goo Dolls perform at last year's SUB concert. This year's concert will feature Cher Lloyd and Jesse McCartney.


Junior Shadmn Minir, concerts programmer for SUB, said he is very excited to bring Lloyd to campus to perform for the student body.

“From being on the X-Factor with One Direction to releasing hit singles such as “I Want You Back,” “With Ur Love” and “I Wish,” Cher's YouTube popularity offers a small indication of her success worldwide,” Minir said. “She is very popular in the U.K., where she originates from, and [her popularity] has steadily grown in the United States over the past few years.

“She is on the verge of releasing her third studio album, so we are excited to see what heights she will reach given the success of the previous two albums,” he said. “Her ability to sing, rap and perform covers of many other artists made her a unique talent to bring, and one that we think the campus will love to see live.”

Leon said she thinks many middle school dreams will come true Saturday when Jesse McCartney performs.

“In a lot of ways, he was the Justin Bieber of our generation,” Leon said. “I think, though I can't say with full certainty at this point, that one of the few things better than the Frosh-O renditions of “Beautiful Soul” would be a rendition by Jesse himself.

“Additionally, he's had a number of popular songs in more recent years that should also make for a great performance,” she said.

Minir said he thinks the two artists complement each other well and will provide entertainment for people with different musical tastes.

“Cher Lloyd is an artist that is a current international pop star, so we thought it would be a good match for Jesse McCartney, a male pop star who represented more of a past generation,” Minir said.

The spring concert is a long-standing tradition on campus, Minir said.

“The spring concert has been going on for a while now, at least since the 1980s,” he said. “Previously they used to hold a large concert in the JACC that was often public to everyone, not just Notre Dame students.”



Goo Goo Dolls member Robby Takac plays a song on the keyboard at last year's concert. The concert is a long-standing ND tradition.
Kevin Song | The Observer
Goo Goo Dolls member Robby Takac plays a song on the keyboard at last year's concert. The concert is a long-standing Notre Dame tradition — it began in 1980.


Leon said over the summer, SUB brainstorms different artists across all genres that might be a good fit for the concert.

“Each year, the concert programmers, along with their committee of dorm reps, start the concert planning process almost immediately after the previous year’s show,” she said. “As early as possible, we reserve the venue for the event, setting aside most of the weekends in April to allow for as much flexibility as possible.”

Leon said SUB also conducts surveys to get as much student input on the concert as possible.

“This year we brought our surveys to the dining hall to get some direct input in addition to the feedback we got from sending them out online,” Leon said. “These surveys provide insight into not only which genres students prefer, but also which artists they would like to see on campus.

“Once we have a solid list of potential artists, the next stage is reaching out to the artists' agencies to get up-to-date pricing and availability information for each artist,” she said. “This helps us get a better sense of which artists we can afford to bring and what dates will work.”

Leon said the committee typically decides who they would like to bring to campus early in the spring semester. An offer letter is then sent to the artist’s agents.

“The timeline for officially booking an artist all varies based on whether or not the artists are still available and whether or not they accept the offer,” she said. “Once the artists are booked, SUB makes the announcement, coordinates ticket sales and contacts our lighting and sound production crew to ensure everything is prepared for the show.”

Leon said Nelly was one of the artists SUB strongly considered for the concert.

“This year we had a number of challenges related to contract negotiations with the agencies that forced us to delay the official announcement,” she said.

Minir said tickets this year are being sold for $10.

“All Notre Dame, Holy Cross and Saint Mary's students can purchase tickets from the LaFortune Box Office, located on the first floor of LaFortune in the main lounge, God Quad side,” Minir said.