B Y MICHELLE ERHARD
Picture this: students are filing in and out of the campus bookstore, each throwing down a ten dollar bill. In exchange, they receive a ticket for an upcoming concert to be held in the gym. That’s how Spring Concert at Green Mountain used to work—advance purchase of a ticket for a show in the gym that lasted maybe an hour and a half. One year, two crazy dreamers took it upon themselves to change that.
My freshman year in spring of 2007, I didn’t even go to the Spring Concert. Call me lame, but honestly, I didn’t know who RJD2 was and wasn’t willing to dish out ten bucks to find out. The following year Laura Maki and I took it upon ourselves to make Spring Concert an event that we would actually want to attend. With the help of a dedicated crew of students on the College Programming Board and a fearless leader, we were able to drastically alter what had been previously known as a performance in the gym to an outside celebration.
Spring 2008 was a spring of firsts. Early on in that semester, CPB held the first Battle of the Bands with the prize of $500 in addition to playing on stage before the headlining band. A company was booked which would provide us with a stage that could be set up right in the Ames Circle so concert-goers could enjoy the performance from the Moses Lawn. That’s right—we were moving Spring Concert outside for the first time. We decided to make the concert area fenced in so our volunteers would only have to be responsible for people’s safety inside that zone and we could let Campus Security continue their duties on the rest of the campus. Because of the fencing, we purchased wristbands that people would wear to come and go inside the fenced in area as they pleased. The bracelets were free to GMC community members and $5 to outside attendees (the price for outsiders before had been $15). Our reasoning was simple—it’s our Student Activities Fee money that funds the concert, so we should be the ones who get to be closest to the stage, and at no cost. There were a lot of people in attendance, and it wasn’t only current students. That was also the very first year the college hosted Young Alumni Weekend. In 2008, Spring Concert was co-sponsored by a couple departments from campus, so we had a few tables on the lawn with information and an activity or two, but the real action didn’t start until late in the afternoon with the opening band, and then, reggae masters Toots and the Maytals.
Last year we made the day more action-packed than before. There was an event in the morning which concluded with a blues singer, the late Sandra Wright on a small stage inside the fence zone. After that, throughout the afternoon, we had a rhythmic performance by Djembe drummers, a mesmerizing belly dancing performance, and Rogers Rangers set up on the small stage to play some beats for a while. Meanwhile, on the Moses Lawn, clubs and organizations were set up with tables featuring games, live demonstrations, art projects, face painting, and even Jello wrestling. Then, for the second year in a row, the winners of the Battle of the Bands took the giant stage before Del the Funkee Homosapien performed.
As Laura and I are both graduating next month, we are passing the Spring Concert legacy on and entrusting Abe Broccolo as the main man after we leave GMC. Needless to say, Abe has been a planning counterpart this year, and this Spring Concert is shaping up to have even more going on than ever before. A few clubs have will be selling food, and there will also be pre-made sandwiches from Café Dale for sale on the Moses Lawn. Other clubs are sponsoring games, activities, and raffles. There will be people selling goods (including LED hula hoops) and art. In the fall CPB scored a package deal, so we will also have a bounce house, mechanical bull, and oxygen bar on the lawn. Just like the past couple years, we will have the wristband deal with the fence, except now all the activities will be outside of the fenced area so if you don’t feel like sporting a groovy bracelet, you can still join in the fun. We will also have t-shirts for sale for really cheap (we sell them for people, not for profit) as we have had in recent years. During the day there will be performances by Djembe drummers, African dance students, and the Shakti Tribal Dancers. During the lulls between these music and dance talent, there will be an open mic so people can showcase their musical abilities if they so desire. Then the Carl’s Corner Basement Band, who took the crown at this year’s Battle of the Bands, will take the main stage to jam out before Easy Star All Stars hit it.
I’m convinced that this year’s Spring Concert on April 24th will blow the preceding ones out of the water. It has only taken a small handful of folks to plan the event (to whom I am unbelievably grateful for their dedication and help). I am on the brink of completing my third year of Spring Concert Planning and can say that I’ve learned that it takes the drive and determination of only a few to create change and make things really happen. Our collaboration with clubs and organizations, local businesses, and even some support from the administration has resulted in an event that engages the entire campus community. Now, even if somebody has no idea who the Spring Concert headliner band is, we have worked so hard to make the rest of the day enjoyable and worth attending. And secretly, this crazy dreamer cannot wait until I have passed the torch and can just come for Young Alumni Weekend, sit back with my feet up, and soak it all in.
