Let them eat Cake

by Sara Millhouse

By noon on Wednesday, about 650 people were standing in the line snaked through the North Lounge and stretched outside towards ARH. Some of the most devoted Cake fans got to the Forum before 10 a.m., bringing chairs and class reading.

Despite nervousness near the back of the line, everyone who lined up got a ticket. Forum desk attendant Omondi Kasidhi ‘05 passed out the last of 700 student tickets around 2:15 p.m. “It was crazy for 30 minutes,” said Kasidhi, who started working at 1 p.m.

The concert, featuring Cake, Gomez and Robbers on High Street, was originally advertised as taking place on Mac Field, but was moved into the Harris Center Concert Hall after further review of the show’s contract. The contract referred to both an outdoor event and an indoor concert, stipulating that in the case of inclement weather, the college must make arrangements to provide indoor facilities for the event.

“At the first meeting, we were all operating under the assumption that it would be an outdoor concert,” said Assistant Dean and Director of Residence Life Sheree Andrews, who signed the contract on March 28.

“Based on the contract, it sounded as if [the concert] was going to be put outside as well,” said Brendan Baker, SGA concerts chair. “Harris was always a distinct possibility. I had initially expected that it was going to be outside. That idea carried through Cabinet and others. … People were rightfully upset.”

The main reason that the concert has to be indoors according to the contract is to protect equipment, said Baker.

The concert was moved into the Harris Concert Hall. “SGA pushed to have it in Darby, but it’s still a construction site,” said all-campus events (ACE) coordinator Anne Salomon ‘05. Waltz will take place in the new Darby next weekend, but the floor is being refinished, said Baker and Student Affairs staff.

According to fire code, the Harris Concert Hall has a standing capacity of 770. Capacity includes everyone in the building, including about 50 crew members, security personnel and others.

On Monday, with the Campus Memo deadline approaching, Associate Dean for Student Life Michael Sims decided to pass out tickets at noon on Wednesday at the Forum desk. Tickets for Saturday night’s Titular Head were distributed on Thursday at noon.

Unlike most events, which are open to the public, the Cake concert is ticketed for students only. Besides showing P-Cards to pick up tickets, attendees will also have to show P-Cards at the door to Harris. “Students are the ones paying for the concert directly out of their student activities fee, and for that reason, students should have the first chance at seeing the show,” said Sims.

At the college’s urging, Cake’s website now lists the Grinnell concert as sold out.

Steve Briscoe, director of Security, said the concert is the largest event he’s dealt with since coming to Grinnell. ACE Security, Campus Security officers and two police officers will be on duty throughout the day and during the concert. An ambulance and medical personnel will also be on hand.

“The rumors around Cake are nerve-wracking,” said Andrews. “We’ve heard that there could be 4,000 people following them around from place to place. Everybody’s nervous … At the same time, it’s great publicity for the college. I just hope people have a great time.”