It’s the last month of school, which means warmer weather, barefoot people, skipping class for sunbathing, but most importantly Springfest! So grab your florescent orange shorts, oversized ponchos, feathered headgear, and whatever else you can find that’s strange, because MGMT is coming to town. Get ready to admire Andrew VanWyngarden’s amazing headbands, and Ben Goldwasser’s facial hair. In addition to MGMT, there will be supporting Springfest performances by BoomBox, People Under the Stairs, Biblecamp Sleepovers, and winner of UVM’s Battle of the Bands 2013, Will Overman.
So who are the masterminds behind Springfest? The UPB Concerts Bureau team consists of seven members, and about thirty UPB production workers. A couple years ago, Concerts Bureau joined UVM’s Program Board, gaining more funding and support. Their job is to plan, promote, and produce most of the musical performances on campus, including Fallfest and Springfest. Previous ‘fest shows have included A$AP Rocky, The Roots, Soulive & Dillon Francis, and Whiz Khalifa. They also coordinate a few smaller events throughout the year, such as the latest Sound Remedy show at Club Metronome. Last Tuesday, I sat down with the team’s executives, Ashley Morgan and Andrew Sondheim, to talk about how the team organizes UVM’s most anticipated event of the year.
To ensure Springfest goes smoothly, Ashley says Concerts Bureau starts planning in the early fall to get a head start on booking, promotion, vendor management, ticketing, event hospitality, and more. One of the main obstacles is coordinating artist and space availability, as well as matching musical acts to UVM’s diverse tastes. For example, why MGMT? They’re fun, exciting, offbeat, and well-received, but most of all, the pricing and availability aligned perfectly. Fallfest ’12 was a hip-hop act, so they’re switching things up with MGMT’s genre of psychedelic rock.
So the question remains…
If you had an unlimited budget, what would you want Springfest to look like?
Andrew: “Multiple large name artists would be an obvious must. It would be great to have a really eclectic mix- a throwback like Red Hot Chili Peppers, paired with an up-and-comer like Kendrick. Maybe throw in a good electronic dance music act like Knife Party to hit all bases too. Rides and other attractions would be fun. It would be awesome to be able to spread the events around campus- separate stages maybe? The possibilities are endless!”
So there ya have it. Maybe we could convince the university to spend less on motorized gates and fountain restoration, and more on keeping us entertained.
This year, Springfest is Saturday, April 27th, and tickets are on sale now! Here’s the event page for more information: https://www.facebook.com/events/356146557831719/