Not many people wish it were May more than those who attended The Grand Kerfuffle on Wednesday.
The show, featuring Lupe Fiasco and Girl Talk, was preceded by almost a day long mid-April snow storm, leaving the ground partially covered in a thin layer of snow for the evening concert. In the afternoon, event workers were even warning attendees about a “no-umbrella” rule. Concert-goers who weren’t intimidated by the day’s weather faced a temperature forecast of about 30 degrees.
This isn’t the first time the Kerfuffle has been hampered by bad weather, and although there is always some risk in holding an outdoor concert, organizers should consider the benefits of pushing back the date. Although May might be best, even pushing the date to the last weekend before finals week would improve the chance of agreeable weather.
Pushing back the Kerfuffle would not only increase the chance of good weather, but could breathe new life into U student attendance. In the past few years, the event seems to be better attended by local high school students and less attended by U students. Having the show scheduled on a Wednesday night leading up to finals clashes with the schedules of many at the U. Holding the Kerfuffle on the last night of school or on a weekend immediately following finals in May would make it easier to attend.
Besides the scheduling problem, the Kerfuffle struggles to attract bands that interest a large portion of the student body. The difficulty in hiring a band that can catch the attention of such a diverse group of people is understandable.
However, the event could be just as cost effective and better attended by making it more a festival than a concert. Instead of the current structure, organizers should invite multiple local bands to perform on two or more stages and cap them with a headliner to close out the night. Not only would this help attract students with different tastes, it would keep more students on campus for longer, which would attract vendors.
Instead of sticking with the traditional schedule and structure, the Kerfuffle could be improved by a few small changes. Future organizers should be prepared to shake it up.