The sun was setting, the speakers were blaring and UT students sang along with all their favorite Yellowcard songs. While most college students can only dream about partying with rock stars, the first UT concert board got that opportunity at the very first Party in the Park.
Student Productions, a UT organization, is dedicated to providing the student body with activities and events every year. More specifically, the music committee is a section of the organization that is responsible for hosting concerts. In the past, the committee has provided multiple small concerts throughout the year. This year, however, Music Chairman Matt Pugatch wanted to create a bigger buzz by hosting one major concert.
“We decided that a major concert was something a campus this size was missing,” Pugatch said.
Last spring, the music committee put together a proposal to show administration for a major concert including: a budget, schedule and reasons for the event. After the event was approved, Pugatch realized that a concert this big would require some additional help. In early September, applications were sent out across campus to find students that would be willing to help the committee plan and host the event. After the applications were collected, selected students were contacted for interviews and the final board of eight students was chosen.
Freshman Katie Kerins found out about the concert board at the beginning of fall semester while attending a Student Productions interest meeting. She instantly knew that she wanted to get involved. “I applied because I love music and going to concerts, and I felt like being a part of planning a major concert would be really rewarding,” Kerins said.
Beginning in October, the concert board met once a week to discuss talent possibilities and advertising plans. They created a survey that would allow them to explore the interests of the student body. Three hundred students responded to the surveys, and after gathering the information, the concert board started progressing.
According to Kerins, the entire board worked together to make decisions about the event. “We would pretty much discuss all options we could each come up with, what we all thought about them and usually take some kind of a vote to make a final decision,” Kerins said.
The board members originally decided that the concert would take place on UT’s soccer field. Due to construction, they later changed the location to Plant Park and coined the name “Party in the Park.”
In order to contact different talent options, the Concert Board hired a middling agent to create dialogs between the board and possible bands. The middling agent was able to help narrow down the options to find a desirable band that would fit the budget.
Finding the talents for the Party in the Park did not come easily. Before Yellowcard accepted the offer, two bands denied the event due to scheduling conflicts. Once Yellowcard agreed to play at UT on April 17, the concert board decided to contact other talents for possible opening bands. JJ Paolino is a student on campus who won the battle of the bands last year, and he agreed to perform before Yellowcard. Big 10-4, a band from Orlando, also seemed like a good addition to the day. “We contacted them directly and they were super excited for the opportunity,” Pugatch said.
To advertise for the major concert, the board members created a buzz through word of mouth, handing out fliers and stickers and by using every college students favorite channel of communication: facebook.
As the day neared, concert board members had more responsibilities. Some people were asked to recruit volunteers for the day of the concert and contact security and vendors for the big day. The concert board also set up a table in the Vaughn lobby the week of the concert to create anticipation. Board members sat at the table handing out fliers, posters and stickers and answering questions, while Yellowcard videos projected behind them.
After months of planning, the board members finally got to see their hard work pay off on April 17. The members and volunteers helped out in every way possible the entire day. In the morning, they blocked entrances and constantly made sure that the bands and everyone involved in the concert were satisfied. Once gates opened, they directed people and answered questions. When things started running smoothly, the board members were permitted to watch the bands perform from a restricted area next to the stage.
As the music played, UT students spread out on blankets and stood underneath the night stars singing along with the bands. When the concert ended and the students filed out the gates, dedicated board members and volunteers remained in the park to clean.
Pugatch and the concert board estimated that approximately 2,000-2,500 students attended the Party in the Park. According to Pugatch there were no major problems during the day. “It went better than I ever could have dreamed,” he said. Kerins agreed that the entire event was unforgettable. “If I had to pick a favorite part, it would be seeing the great turnout we had and watching everyone singing along in the crowd and enjoying the event that we put so much work into,”she said.
Because the concert was so successful, Pugatch hopes the Party in the Park will become an annual tradition. “We may add a couple of small bands throughout the year, but the students really seemed to like the switch to one major show,” he said.