Written by Emily Kessel
With their busy schedules, empty wallets and demanding classes, students deserve a night free of books, free of fees and full of Jason Mraz. On Sept. 13, St. Thomas students stretched across the quad, waiting for their share of “The Remedy.” By 7:30 p.m., when the doors opened, the line nearly reached the arches.
“Before the concert, there was somebody out there literally at 4:30,” senior Dan Miles said.
Miles, a St. Thomas Activities and Recreation programming intern, took initiative to organize the fall concert. STAR president, senior Ericka Leahy said Miles was the one who worked hard to put the event together.
With the help of campus life and fellow STAR interns, Miles was able to book Mraz and the Fieldhouse.
“…Seemed like a good way to kick off the semester,” Leahy said.
Mraz is eclectic artist with a variety of musical influences ranging from pop to jazz to hip hop. Some classify his music as pop rock, others as alternative. Either way, his lively tempo and speedy lyrics keep fans alert and easily entertained.
“I think it was a lot of fun between St. Thomas students interacting together as a whole community,” freshman Ben Wartman said.
Drummer, Michael Bram said that he, and Mraz, really enjoyed the crowd. “Sometimes it’s difficult to get them to clap…” Bram said. “…But these kids had no problem clapping on cue … That was really cool.”
Assistant Director of campus life, Jese Ledbetter, thought the event was well received.
“[And] I think that everyone on STAR was excited about it,” STAR programming intern, Brian Allen said.
Ledbetter said that there was a good line starting around 5:45 p.m. and group of 10 or 12 around 5.
Senior Kibra Paulos was the first student lined up for the concert around 4:30. “It was a great experience for my senior year, seeing my favorite performer for free,” Paulos said.
However, she was a little disappointed with the set list, but overall was happy with the show.
“I felt that Jason Mraz has a sound that will be enjoyed by a large representation of the campus,” Tommies After-Dark intern, Will Besser said.
Exactly 1,356 students entered the concert. However, the most students in the Fieldhouse at the same time were around 1,000.
“It wasn’t as crowded as I had hoped…” freshmen Audrey Palmen said. “…But he was good.”
For the Mraz concert, campus life and STAR decided to only emit St. Thomas students, because of previous concert experience. Last fall, St. Thomas allowed guests into the Dashboard Confessional concert and had to turn away a large number of St. Thomas students. Leahy said that throughout the night, there were around 2,000 people who entered the show, with capacity of 1,600.
The money for fall and spring concerts comes from student activity fees. For this reason, Cahill and Miles chose to not admit guests unless the count was low. And Cahill said that they did allow a few guests to enter the concert around 9.
This way, students were able to come after night class. “…And students did come right in until 10 p.m. for encore” Cahill said.
Twin Cities artist, Tim Mahoney opened the concert a number of his songs, including “Talk to Me” from his 1995 self-titled album. St. Thomas needed a talented artist to fill the time between doors opening at 7:30 and Mraz’s performance. Mahoney has been gaining popularity with a number of college campuses through the National Association for Campus Activities. Recently, Mahoney won a Myspace music contest and will make an appearance in an upcoming Rolling Stones magazine.
Although eager for Mraz, the crowd seemed to enjoy the opening act. Mahoney even got the crowd to sing along to his version of “Small Town Girl.”
“Tim Mahoney, the first performer, played really well; good reaction from the crowd. I've seen him live before, so I recognized some of the songs he played,” junior Thomas Engrav said. “[And] when Mraz came on the place went nuts of course.”
Around 8:45, Mraz began his performance with “You and I” followed by “Take It Easy” and “Curbside Prophet.” The crowd sang along, cell phones glowed and groups of friends would break out in dance.
But by far, “The Remedy” had the best audience response. Bram said that the crowd enthusiasm was what stood out to him about this concert.
“I thought he fell off the face of the planet,” freshman Adam Anderson said, “but he was great.”
Margaret Cahill, director of campus life discussed how important it was to provide a variety of performers, because it is impossible for everyone to agree on every choice of artist.
“It is really helpful for programmers, for students to share [new and favorite bands they’ve learned about].” STAR interns appreciate any suggestions and feedback, because they want to bring artists that students want to see.
Miles said that when deciding which artist to bring to campus, Facebook was a big resource. He could type in an artist’s name and see how many students were interested in him or her.
Cahill said that it had been about 5 years since Mraz had last performed at St. Thomas. It seemed like it was about time to bring him back.
This fall, although student feedback varied, as a whole, the concert seemed to be well received.
“I thought it was a pretty good choice for the fall concert at UST,” Engrav said. “Jason Mraz stature has gone up over the years, and getting him to perform here again was a surprise to me.”
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