The verdict is in: University Programming Board scored a huge homerun at this weekend’s Lewis Black and Stephen Lynch show, selling out all 3,000 tickets to an extremely well-recieved show.
Lynch and Black played to a packed West Gym for a combined three hours on Sunday night, closing out homecoming weekend around 10 p.m. The evening literally went out with a bang as students flooded out of the gym to the backdrop of a fireworks display.
“Everything went so smoothly. They were the nicest people we’ve ever dealt with at any show,” said Patrick Craig, vice president for University programming.
When the doors opened for the show there were 70 tickets still available, but they quickly sold out, and Craig said he even had to turn people away.
He estimated that at least 2,300 of the 3,000 tickets went to students, and the initial student-priced tickets sold out in the preliminary three days of sales.
Ticketholders lined the back wall of the gym during the performance because there seemed to be more people than seats. Craig said that this may have been the result of underestimating the capacity of the room, but everyone managed to sqeeze in, even if they had to sit on the floor for three hours. No one seemed to mind.
Tommy Davidson, of “In Living Color,” was the last comedy act to play campus. The programming board pre-sold only 130 tickets two years ago, forcing them to make the show free. Sunday night’s act was far different.
Craig couldn’t pinpoint the reason Davidson was a flop, but he credited the success of this year’s show to an appealing mix of popular performers.
“I think it had to do a lot with who it was. The pairing of two very different types of comedy. They had a lot more appeal,” he said.
The success of ticket sales for this show means one important thing for the University Programming Board and students as well: a minimal loss of money, and more shows next semester.
“I think we lost a little bit. Not much at all, though. I thought it was really successful to only lose a few thousand dollars,” Craig said.
The next step for Craig will be a survey that should go out to students this week, asking them what kind of acts they are interested in for next semester.
While the next concert will probablly be a rock show, Craig said, the support shown by the University for the Black/Lynch show has made it clear that comedy acts are a viable possibility for the future.
“It’s definitely made that more of an option than I had initially thought it would be,” Craig said.
If another comedy show were on the menu, Craig said that Dane Cook would be the most likely candidate, although cost may be an obstacle.
“I don’t know if any other comedian would be right at this time,” he said.
Pending the results of the next survey, bidding for next semester’s show will probablly begin in November.