UC's Concert Contract Deserves Praise

Hallelujah! Undergraduate Council representative Jonathan Mann '92-'94 of Adams House has walked in the valley of the shadow of the entertainment industry and has emerged with a sacred covenant.

Alternative band They Might Be Giants has recently agreed in principle to an April 28 performance in Memorial Hall. After organizing several comedy events, it looks like the Council will finally treat entertainment-starved Harvardians to a live musical concert by a popular band.

This triumph represents months of work, including two failed attempts to secure other musical acts. Last fall, Mann initially attempted to use a promoter to attract a band to campus. Apparently, this is the method of choice for finer universities who fork over the 10 percent commission to obtain a great band at a reasonable price. With the promoter's connections, Digable Planets quickly emerged as a solid possibility and was expeditiously approved by the Council. Before students could even query "Digable who?" the promoter revealed to Mann that the deal had fallen thorough.

Mann, dismayed by such unreliable members of the entertainment industry, decided to do the work himself by directly contacting booking agents. Acting as his own promoter, Mann negotiated a cut-rate deal with the agent representing Blind Melon. The concert was quickly and almost unanimously approved by the Council, Evidently, however, the manager of the band disapproved of the paltry $14,500 offered by the Council and the show was summarily cancelled.

Just as students were losing all hope, Mann contacted Chip Hooper, a booking agent with Monterrey Peninsula Artists, Mann agreed to the full $10,000 fee required by They Might Be Giants. According to Mann, the band manager has approved the bid and Harvard has now become one of the routing dates for the group's northeastern tour.

The contract must be approved by the Council with a majority vote in the Feb. 13 meeting. Also, the Council must be sure to satisfy all stage and lighting requirements of the band, which should cost an additional $3,000 or $4,000.

Evidently, Mann has learned two important lessons from his adventures in concert booking. First, avoid unreliable and shady concert promoters, In other words, do the booking personally, And, second, when dealing with booking agents, find a popular band with a reasonable pricetag and pay the full price. Don't give the band or the band's manager a reason to disappoint eager students.

We hope that this concert will become the standard for Harvard and for the Council. Consistent musical performances by popular professional entertainers are one certain way to restore faith in the Council.