Music is one category this campus doesn’t lack diversity in, and catering to the musical tastes of the 12,000 some-odd students is not an easy task. Nonetheless, the Student Committee on Popular Entertainment’s (SCOPE) decision to choose Kygo as the performer for its fall concert at the Whittemore Center on Oct. 24 was the right move.
Hailing from Norway, the Electronica DJ is a relevant entertainer on the rise whose music is gaining in popularity among fans of all genres. “Stole the show” currently sits at spot 28 in the Billboard Hot 100 charts, and he has over 15.8 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Not too shabby.
Granted, there are undoubtedly a number of students on this campus—including several on The New Hampshire staff—who have never heard of him, but that’s not a valid excuse to dismiss the concert.
Trying to find a performer that all students at UNH will enjoy is an exercise in futility. Students’ tastes in music are far too heterogeneous across the board for SCOPE to find a “catch-all” performer everyone will enjoy.
Bearing that in mind, SCOPE made a wise choice in selecting an entertainer as opposed to a musician whose studio recordings are far superior to his or her live performances. Due to the nature of his music, ‘knowing all the words’ is not necessary. There’s nothing more obnoxious at a concert than that person belting out every verse to a song.
Students on campus will always complain about the choice, and they have every right to do so. If SCOPE doesn’t know what students want, they won’t be able to accommodate their requests.
In fact, there is evidence that shows SCOPE caters to students’ wants. After bringing Logic to campus last fall, SCOPE was heavily criticized by country fans. The student-run committee responded by bringing Lee Brice, a popular contemporary country artist, to perform at the Whittemore Center in the spring. Not surprisingly, the concert was a hit.
Another incentive to check out this year’s concert: Students don’t have to wait in ridiculously long lines with the MUB’s new online ticketing system. Long lines have deterred students from attending concerts in the past, and for good reason. Waiting in line for several hours is absurd.
Students will have the right to be disappointed if the concert ends up being terrible, but only to a certain degree. It’s important to remember that SCOPE is a student-run committee. The concerts they organize allow us to see distinguished performers live without leaving Durham. UNH students want to be entertained, and SCOPE has answered the call with Kygo.
