By
Maya Schechter
Arizona Daily Wildcat
ASUA and UAB work together for concert on last day of classes
Student tickets for an upcoming Counting Crows concert go on sale Wednesday morning, and event coordinators anticipate an overwhelming interest from the student body.
After months of planning, the Associated Students and the University Activities Board have contracted Counting Crows - a popular band known for hit songs such as "Hangin' Around" and "Mr. Jones" - to perform at Centennial Hall May 2, the night before Dead Day.
Students can purchase two tickets per CatCard for $11 each beginning at 10 a.m. They will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis so students should get in line as early as possible, said J.J. Kruglick, UAB concerts director.
When Counting Crows last came to Arizona in October, they performed at Phoenix's Desert Sky Pavilion, which seats nearly 20,000, Kruglick said.
University of Arizona's Centennial Hall holds about 2,400 people, so even seats in the last row will be close to the band, said ASUA President Ben Graff.
"We are very excited we are able to present Counting Crows in such an intimate venue," Kruglick said. "So everyone should get there early to get the front seats."
Jenny Rimsza, ASUA special events director, said that neither ASUA nor UAB will profit from the concert, and that its sole purpose was to entertain students.
"We wanted to make it as free as possible for students, that's why the tickets are so cheap," she said. "Students can get a front row seat for the same price as a back row seat - they should get in line as early as they can."
ASUA and UAB will have tents outside Centennial Hall providing free food and drinks to those waiting in line.
The local band Warsaw will perform on the UA Mall that day as well to promote tickets sales.
If tickets do not sell out by Friday, they will be open to the Tucson community Monday, for $16 each.
"Everyone I've talked to seems really excited," Kruglick said. "A concert that only costs $11 - everyone should want to attend."
Rimsza and Kruglick said both ASUA and UAB had been planning an earlier spring concert, but an outside organization - the Jed Foundation - was planning a similar event at the same time. That concert fell through, so Rimsza and Kruglick started contacting bands again.
"Counting Crows had already been contacted by the Jed Foundation so they knew there was going to be a concert here for students," Kruglick said. "So they agreed to do it for a small amount of money."
Other bands Kruglick and Rimsza contacted had larger budgets, but if the concert cost ASUA and UAB more money, the cost of tickets would rise.
"The bottom line is that this concert is something we've been wanting to give to the students all year long," Graff said.
"It's not a concert for anyone else but the students - it's student funds going to a student concert."
