By
Graig Uhlin
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Students weary from a long first week of boring classes can find relief from the pressures of college with today's Sister Hazel concert on the UA Mall. And best of all, it is free.
The concert is part of CatFest, an ASUA-sponsored event that is the culmination of a 10-day long Wildcat Welcome, designed to usher in the semester for new and returning students.
Sister Hazel comes to the University of Arizona following the release of their second CD, Fortress. The procurement of the band was a bit of luck combined with a lot of hard work on the part of the CatFest committee, ASUA President Ben Graff said. The CatFest Committee is composed of representatives from the Residence Hall Association, University Activities Board, the Associated Students, Greek life and KAMP radio.
Graff said that Sister Hazel was originally one of the top choices to perform back in May but the band's asking price, which ranges from $30,000 to $35,000, fell over the allotment of $15,000 to $20,000 that the committee had available.
The committee then began to consider other bands, including Eve 6, 3 Doors Down and Goldfinger, Graff said.
Then, Graff said, a personal friend named Luke Johnson, a computer engineering student, "who keeps close contact with the bands he likes" provided the contact that Graff needed to bring Sister Hazel to the UA.
"Within a week, I got a call from (Sister Hazel's manager) Rodney Stammel," Graff said.
The CatFest committee managed to secure the band's performance for $20,000, after much negotiation with Sister Hazel's agency, which was reluctant to go below their asking price.
"They were at a price range we couldn't afford so there was some wheeling and dealing," said Jake McLaughlin, director of Rising Star Entertainment, a student-run on-campus promotions group.
Graff said the committtee was pleased.
"(Sister Hazel) Being one of our first choices, we were extremely excited. I wanted nothing more than a nationally recognized band to say welcome back to the UA students," Graff said.
Since they have secured a high-name band, the committee is hoping not to repeat a rain out that happened two years ago, when weather prevented Blink 182 from performing. If rain does occur, the location of the concert will be moved to the Arizona Ballroom in the Memorial Student Union.
Due to limited space in the ballroom, the event with only be open to UA students, who must show their student ID at the door. The concert, if on the Mall, will be open to anyone.
Graff is confident that the event will go well and will draw a large congregation of students.
"It's a band that most people know about. I personally handed out 200 brochures and seven to eight out of 10 were excited. It's just going to be a really good show," Graff said.
In addition to the concert, there will be two club fairs- one from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., the other at 5 p.m.- where 60 clubs and organizations will be out on the Mall to hand out information and get students involved. The fair also features food, a fashion show from local clothing stores, Wilma and Wilbur and other attractions.
The festivities will begin at 5 p.m.
