Bacchanal concert set to bring the noise this weekend

War on Fun be damned. This Saturday, from 3-5 p.m, Columbia students will set down their textbooks, don their sunglasses, and congregate on Low steps to see Talib Kweli and Vampire Weekend perform in the Bacchanal spring concert.

For the average Columbian, the concert means a free show and a chance to celebrate spring. But for coordinators in Bacchanal Special Events, the concert is the culmination of a long and tiring planning process.

So what does it take to put on a big concert at Columbia? The Bacchanal spring concert is produced by Bacchanal Special Events and additionally funded by Columbia College Student Council, the Arts Initiative, Barnard’s Student Government Association, and the President and Provost Fund. Planning for the event has been underway since the fall.

Bacchanal works with an agent to book the performers. “It ends up being a relay process,” said Bacchanal’s president Jeremy Reich, CC ’09. The concert’s line-up depends largely on the availability and cost of the artists. The club’s budget, which is granted by the Activities Board at Columbia, is a limiting factor—especially this year because it was lower than usual, according to Reich.

Sometimes, pulling off the concert means pulling strings. “We had contacts with Vampire Weekend because they went to school here,” said Bacchanal’s concertmaster Benny Shaffer, CC ’09, adding that this year’s show boasts some of the most high-profile acts in Bacchanal history. In the past, the spring concert has showcased artists still on their way up to superstardom. When rapper Kanye West headlined in 2004, “He was just starting to get big, but we managed to get him for a very small price,” Reich said.

This year, Bacchanal hopes that the juxtaposition of Talib Kweli’s politically charged rap and Vampire Weekend’s preppy indie-pop will please the student body. “We want to do the best we can to satisfy a wide variety of tastes and get artists who we think will appeal to everyone,” said Reich.

The concert will take place on Low steps, marking a return to tradition. Last year’s spring concert, which featured indie acts The National and Grizzly Bear, was held in Roone Arledge auditorium due to budget constraints and a booking conflict for the Steps. Because of fire code regulations, Bacchanal could only distribute a certain number of tickets—but many ticket holders never showed, leaving empty seats inside the venue and hopeful concert-goers locked outside.

Boris Mindzak, SEAS ’09, attended last year’s show. “The bands themselves aren’t really bands that would get crowds pumped,” he explained, but added that “there were definitely a lot of people who enjoyed the show.” Bacchanal hopes that this year’s show will be more universally appealing.
“It’s pretty obvious that it wasn’t a success last year and we’re conscious of that,” said Reich.

Staging the concert outdoors is an expensive undertaking­—setting up a stage, sound, and lighting equipment outdoors increases the cost by $15,000 to $20,000. “That is a really significant percentage [of the club’s budget],” said Reich. Bacchanal coordinators think it’s worth it, though, especially after the shortcomings of last year’s indoor affair. “It’s not the concert if it’s not outdoors,” Reich added.

The spring concert is a tradition at many other universities. Brown University’s “Spring Weekend” seems more like Coachella than college—the six-band line-up includes Nas, Of Montreal, and Santigold. Shaffer attributed this to a larger budget and a charge for tickets—Bacchanal is free. “It’s for the whole community to enjoy,” Shaffer said.

According to Reich, the Columbia administration’s notorious “War On Fun” has imposed limitations on the Bacchanal concert by decreasing budgets and increasing regulations. “Freshman year was much, much more fun than senior year, in terms of the on-campus scene,” he said. “The War on Fun boils down to a real concern for the University’s liability, but not for its students.”

Yet providing security for the concert is a real issue—especially in New York City. Contracts specify that the names of the artists cannot be released more then two weeks before the show, to prevent an overwhelming audience. “I don’t think there’s really going to be a riot to an indie band, or just a concert in general, but these rigid policies say that could very well happen and if it does, they [the Columbia administration] don’t want to be liable,” said Reich.

James McShane, associate vice president of the Department of Public Safety, confirmed Public Safety’s role. “We are a full partner in the planning of the Bacchanal events,” he said. McShane added that, although security will be increased, the campus would remain open to the public. Shaffer spoke positively about collaborating with the Columbia administration and Department of Public Safety. “Things have gone really smoothly,” he said.

“We’re trying to do the best with what we’ve got,” said Reich. But with diverse and high-profile acts, Low steps as a venue, and Saturday’s forecast reading 67 degrees and sunny, “what we’ve got” looks like an improvement.