Issue date: 4/1/08 Section: Campus

But A&O was able to bypass former obstacles to book Counting Crows this spring.

"The money that we're normally allocated isn't enough to cover a show like the Crows, but because we negotiated such a good deal with OK Go, we negotiated with the (ASG) Senate finance board to use some of those funds," White said. "We're paying at the bottom of their range because they're on a tour, and it routes perfectly."

A&O made an initial offer to the band in January and entered into negotiations about the date, price and venue. They received informal confirmation about the second week of February but could not officially announce the concert until they received contracts with signatures from both the university administration and the band, White said.

Once A&O confirmed the show, the group started a promotional campaign to spread the word around campus, White said.

A&O members ran a video during one of the blocks at Dance Marathon that made several references to Counting Crows' songs, said Weinberg senior Gabe Rich, the DM dancer relations co-chairman.

"I think that was kind of a cool surprise," Rich said. "If you were familiar with the band, you at least had a guess."

The size of DM this year made it a good venue for A&O to get the word out, he said.

"What stood out to me was when a guy came out with a sheet of paper taped to his shirt that said 'Mr. Jones,' " said DM dancer and Medill freshman Ward Goolsby. " 'Mr. Jones' is my favorite Counting Crows song."

A&O plans to further publicize the show, but doesn't anticipate a lack of student interest.

"The ticket scramble is going to be pretty intense," Lowe said.

kirstensalyer2007@u.northwestern.edu

< prev Page 2 of 2

Article Tools