After three consecutive rap and hip-hop concerts, the Student Association Programming Board (SAPB) is changing its tune and bringing Foster the People to headline Spring Fling this year.
The SAPB announced today that the alternative group will be performing at the concert on May 5.
According to Ashley Blake, the concerts chair for the SAPB and a senior majoring in history, the group was the highest rated pop/rock/alternative act on the SA’s annual programming survey and was in the top 10 choices on the survey overall.
“They’re a really fun, enthusiastic band that we felt like really encompassed the vibe of Spring Fling,” she said. “We’re very pleased to have a strongly supported student act for us.”
Foster the People is best known for their hit “Pumped Up Kicks,” which includes a message against gun violence. The lyrics give a look into the mind of boy who is imagining shooting up his school.
In the wake of one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, Blake said the SA has anticipated concerns about the song, which was released in 2010.
”We understand that concerns may arise about the single,” she said. “According to the band, this song was written just to start dialogue and bring awareness to the subject, and we really hope students do not misinterpret their lyrics. It’s really meant to just bring about awareness to the issue.”
The band’s latest album, Sacred Hearts Club, was released in July 2017.
Blake said that the opener has not yet been finalized and will be announced after spring break. Because of the success of the Fall Concert, she said the opener will be a bigger name than usual because of the larger budget earned from the sold-out Post Malone show. The student band opener will be Gnarwall, a seven-piece hip-hop influenced group which won Battle of the Bands on March 24.
The free concert will be held in front of the Student Wing, but Blake said that in the event of rain, the SAPB has booked the Events Center and will determine the ticketing process if a location change is necessary. The time of the concert has not yet been determined.