VICTOR SCHMITT-BUSH
Assistant News Editor
This year’s winter has been long and drawn out. The cold and dark afternoons have bled into late April, marking as one of Fredonia’s most shivering springs of recent year. Even so, Fredonia’s most esteemed student-run events planning team is heating things up.
This coming week, Spectrum Entertainment will be bringing back that summer vibe with their Spring Concert — Fredonia’s biggest event of the year.
Featured on the big stage this year will be Todd Collins, also known as Kid Ink. He is an American rapper best known for his debut album, “Up and Away,” which he released in 2012, and his first major studio album, “My Own Lane,” which he released in 2014.
According to junior social studies education major and Spectrum President, Nick Crampton, “We like to mix it up, so we went rap this year,” he said. “We thought he was a great choice because he’s been in the music industry for years now. He knows the routine. He knows how to put on a show, and he has a lot of material.”
Last year, Spectrum put together an alternative rock concert with New Politics and Joywave. This year, according to Crampton, Kid Ink was an obvious choice because of his track record.
“We didn’t want someone who was a one-hit,” said Crampton. “Kid Ink has so many songs. He has three songs with over 100 million listens on Spotify.”
Kid Ink’s most popular song is “Show Me” with over 175 million views, followed by “Promise” with over 134 million views and in third is “Be Real” with over 125 million views.
Crampton is hoping to sell as many tickets as possible this year, but with finals coming up soon, he feels that the number of attendees won’t be nearly as staggering as they could be.
“Realistically, if we can shoot for a fourth of the campus to come, I think that would be really good,” he said. “I think if we get 1,000 people to come, that would be great.”
According to Crampton, students should take note that presale is the way to go. The tickets are much cheaper when bought prior to the day of the event.
“The tickets are only $8 for students, and then you can bring up to two guests,” he said. “Guest tickets are up to $12, but on the day of the concert, tickets will be $10 at the door [for students] and $15 for guests.”
The event will be held at the Steele Hall Fieldhouse and the doors will open at 6:00 p.m. Even though Kid Ink will be the headliner for this event, he will not be the only entertainment on stage.
“We have two openers,” said Crampton. “One of them is a student, a student DJ. His name is Kris Thompson. He will be playing for 20 minutes just djing. The other opener is EAR Entertainment, and they feature former students and alumni.”
EAR Entertainment is an independent record label and management company led by Ian Robinson, a graduate student at Buffalo State who also studied music business industry at Fredonia.
“I’ve watched one of their music videos when we were looking for an opener,” said Crampton. “It was well-done, so I figured that it would be a great idea to have him and his crew be a part of the show.”
To keep everything running smoothly, Spectrum will be receiving a lot of help from organizations and communities on and around campus. Volunteers from the Kappa Sigma fraternity will be assisting with project management both before and after the event. The university police will also be there for security and the Fredonia Sound Services will be managing the audio equipment.
“We’re very excited,” said Crampton. “The tickets are still on sale. Come and get them. I think it’s going to be a really good show. Even if you don’t like rap, I think you’ll still still enjoy it because it’s very mainstream.”
According to him, Kid Ink is more of a party rap. It’s not quite as hardcore and raw as some other artists out there.
Cramton concluded, “He gives off more of a summer break, party vibe. That’s what we are shooting for. This is our biggest event, so I think it’s a no-brainer whether students should go to this event.”