University of Virginia Library

"Steppenwolf" Concert Breaks Records;
IFC Cites Good Publicity, Organization

By Sharon Mayes
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

As Ted Foote, 1970-71
President of the Interfraternity
Council said, it got to the point
where you had to "just sit back and
watch the show." Storming the
ticket booth and breaking a few
doors and windows was "all part of
the spirit of things." What we're
referring to, of course, is the
successful "Steppenwolf" concert
last Saturday night. The concert
was a complete sell-out and broke
University Hall attendance records.
Not only did the IFC cry on the
way to the bank with an initial bag
of $14,000 cash, but also
approximately 1500 Charlottesville
high school students successfully
attended the concert with
counterfeit tickets.

Wide Appeal

Those who worked with the IFC
to bring this concert to
Charlottesville, particularly
outgoing IFC vice-president Steve
Baskin and fourth yearman John
Barney, gained some good
experience in what a successful
concert entails. The IFC worked on
the project since last November,
and Mr. Baskin did the majority of
the work in lining up the group.
Although Steppenwolf may not
have been the favorite college
crowd choice, the IFC decided that
a group would appeal to a wider
cross-section of people than, say, an
individual singer.

Technical Excellence

Mr. Foote pointed out that
there are only 10,000 students at
the University, 6,000 of whom are
undergraduates. Subtract from that
the number of students who don't
attend concerts on general
principles and you're dealing with a
small group, particularly as far as
making profits is concerned.

The concert was technically
well-handled. The professional
sound system provided by the Clair
Brothers of Richmond prevented
the complaints that usually result
from University Hall's sound
apparatus. Besides problems that
naturally arise from the crowd of
9300 and the lack of rapport
between the group itself and the
audience, the evening ran smoothly.
"Janie and Dennis," a folk-rock
group from New York, were
described by one student as
sounding like a "heavy Peter, Paul,
and Mary." They made a good
contribution to the evening but
didn't quite match the mood of the
concert.

Big P. R. Build-Up

Advertisement may have had
something to do with the success of
the concert, a factor which many
sponsoring groups seem to forget.
The event was announced on all
Charlottesville radio stations, ads
were run in the local newspaper,
and posters were massively
distributed to local stores, schools,
and several girls' colleges. Mr. Foote
said that news of the concert was
also spread throughout the state by
word-of-mouth.

Needed Co-ordination

Mr. Foote added that the IFC
encourages the efforts of the
newly-formed Student Council
Concert Coordinating Committee.
He said that Charlottesville groups
such as the University Union, PK
German, Circle K, and the IFC
often end up bidding for groups
against one another because the
agents are just taking them for a
ride. If the efforts of these
individual groups were united there
would be a higher average of
professional results.