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CUAB plans another major concert for spring 2014

With Wale and Ace Hood’s Nov. 2 performance still ringing in the walls of Carmichael Stadium, the Carolina Union Activities Board is already planning another major concert for the spring of 2014.

The concert, projected for either March or April, is dependent upon artist and venue availability, said Lauren Sacks, assistant director of student learning and activities for CUAB.

“It’s our intention to have one. It all depends on what’s out there and whether it’s worth the money,” she said.

CUAB’s annual budget is approximately $375,000.

There is also a surplus the group can tap into, which accumulated a number of years ago when there was a miscommunication over summer funding, Sacks said.

She added that the board does not want to spend all of the surplus money at this time in an effort to use it in the most fiscally responsible way possible. There is approximately $20,000 of that surplus money that CUAB would be willing to spend this year.

CUAB paid about $90,000 to bring Wale and Ace Hood in for fall’s Homecoming concert. That was significantly lower cost-wise than the year before when CUAB brought J. Cole for $105,000.

Sacks said CUAB will meet in mid-November to discuss how to shape the concert and the intention of the program.

The organization has already reached out to artist agencies to see who will be touring in the spring.

Student Union president Carly Mathews said in an email that she couldn’t disclose which artists are being considered, but that the genre of a large spring concert will be different than the genre of the Homecoming concert.

“CUAB understands the diverse musical interests of the campus and works to reach all sectors as much as possible,” she said.

But this does not necessarily mean the exclusion of rap entirely.

If the budget permits, CUAB is considering hosting multiple artists, which would allow for a more diverse range of performers and genres, said Khalani James, special events coordinator of CUAB.

“We’re going to be open-minded,” James said.

He said CUAB was considering doing a smaller-scale contemporary festival inspired by events such as Lollapalooza.

Whatever artist CUAB contracts will join the legacy of former spring concert performers such as 2 Chainz and Juicy J in 2012, and Boys II Men in 2009.

In the process of planning the spring concert, CUAB leaders are hoping for student input by conducting polls on social media and using white boards to solicit ideas in the Union, continuing the emphasis CUAB has put on students’ opinions recently.

“We welcome any feedback on who they’d like to see and how they’d like to see it,” Sacks said.

university@dailytarheel.com

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